Romeo and Juliet Had It Easy
by cera85
Summary: Friends change, people change, high school can be hard, especially if you live in Stoneybrook. Cat fights, lovers quarrels... SES students FF, all grown up now.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

Sometimes I wish I was more like those other girls. The One Tree Hill/OC/90210 girls. The popular, pretty fun girls. The girls who have no problem blowing off homework or even school for a good time. The girls who have their pick of any guy in the school. The girls with the fabulous wardrobe, great clothes and not a care in the world. The girls like... them.

I pulled my locker door half shut and peered around the door when I heard the high pitched squealy giggling coming down the hall. Four beautiful, popular, seemingly perfect girls were walking two-by-two towards me. One of them noticed me watching them and sneered at me.

"Stare much, loser?" She snapped, flipping her brown, wavy hair over her shoulder. The other girls giggled as they pushed past me and continued down the hall.

I still can't believe I used to be friends with them. The four of us used to be inseperable. We did absolutely everything together. I wish I knew why we weren't friends anymore. Well, truth be told, I know why. They decided to drink and be party girls, and therefore sluts, and Becca and I decided not to become sluts. I guess when people change, you really find out who your true friends are. Becca and I... we'll be friends for life.

I shover my biology text into my backpack, slammed my locker shut, and headed down the opposite end of the hallway. No one acknowledged me as I walked past them, no one said hi. The only acknowledgement I got was Shea Rodowski crashing into me as he tried to catch a football someone tossed to him.

"Oompf... sorry, Char." He said with an apologetic grin. Shea and I have known each other since we were kids. We live across the road from each other, always have, so I have dealt with many football, baseball, paintball incidents with Shea in my life.

"No worries." I assured him quietly as I continued down the hall. I heard a few snickers behind me, and I assumed they were laughing at me for Shea crashing into me. I picked up my pace down the hall, and rounded a corner towards Becca's locker. She was crouched in front of it, flipping though her day planner and chewing on her lower lip.

"Hi, friend!" I said cheerfully, crouching down beside her. "What are you doing?"

Becca sighed and shut her book. "Trying to figure out how many days I am going to need to finish all this fucking homework I have to do. I swear, they really don't want us to have a life. They want us to spend friggin forty hours a week in this prison, then spend another seven zillion hours on the weekend? I hate school!"

I laughed at Becca's over exaggerated, dramatic bitch-and-moan speech, the same one she dishes out every Friday. "You know Beck, if you just did home homework every night-,"

"I know, I know!" Becca interrupted, closing her locker. "But the weeks are so busy... Monday, One Tree Hill.. Tuesday, 90210, Wednesday, America's Next Top Model... There is just no time for stupid homework. And you know, my dad, my mom... they never bring their work home. So why should I?"

"Bullshit, I've seen your dad working on cases tons of times at home." I told Becca as we made our way to the main entrance of the school.

"Okay, fine." Becca answered. "But Daddy likes his work. I don't!"

"Tough shit." I said simply as we walked out into the cool, crisp, Connecticut autumn air.

Becca breathed deeply. "Oh, I'm so glad to be gone from there! I wish it was longer than two days!"

"Beck, you do realise school has only been in session for six weeks, right?" I asked her. "We still have aways to go. Plus, we're only sophomores. We pretty much have three years of high school left."

"Fuck you, Donna Downer." Becca said with a laugh. "I have a great idea!"

"Is it the same great idea you have every Friday as we walk home?" I asked her, knowing full well that it was.

"Yeah." She answered. "Let's blow off homework tonight, even though I know it's soooo important to you that we do it early... Let's go for pizza tonight. Maybe we'll run into someone fun."

"You mean I'm not fun?" I teased.

Becca shrugged. "Not really." She replied. She must have saw the look on my face because she burst out laughing, and exclaimed. "Charlotte! Of course you're fun! I'm only kidding... I want to see boys, that's all!"

Becca is definitely a bit boy crazy. She's not a slut like the other girls, but she does like the boys. She dated Jake Kuhn last year, but it was kind of a silly relationship. Neither one knew what they were doing. Becca said the first time they slept together, Jake was so embarassed, his whole body, not just his face, went red. But he is a really nice guy. Becca just always saw him as a friend, not a boyfriend. But ever since she got a taste of 'men', Becca has been wanting to find another boyfriend, or at least someone to make out with. Me... well, I'd just like some guy to talk to me.

"I overheard Jeff Schafer talking today." Becca began. "He said that a bunch of them are going for pizza tonight then going up to Miller's Pit for a party. We should go."

I snickered. "Okay Becca." I said sarcastically. "We'll just tell our parents to buy us booze, then hitch hike our way up the muddy, rutty, road to a party filled with seventeen year old boys ready to nail us in the back seat of their piece of shit Chevy pickups. Sounds like a really great time!"

Becca rolled her eyes. "Char... don't be an idiot." She told me. "We'll go to Pizza Express, we'll chit chat with Jeff and the boys, they'll invite us up, and we'll each get to make out with someone tonight!"

"You're forgetting one thing." I reminded her.

"What?"

I pointed across the road. "Them."

The Four Slutateers were walking home also... Though I don't know how they can walk in shoes like that. They must not have gotten the memo that stated this was Stoneybrook High in small town Connecticut, not the cat walk in Paris. They were walking with a few guys, Shea and Jeff included, giggling and flirting like stupid girls. I hated to admit it, and I never would, not even to Becca, but I was jealous of them. They seemed to have it so easy. They didn't study all weekend, preparing for a history test. They didn't freak out if they only got a B on an assignment. And they definitely didn't worry about how to get to a party. If they wanted to go, they just went. Not a care in the world, just being teenage girls.

Becca waved her hand. "Who cares about them?" She asked. "None of them hold any claim to any guy, except maybe Tiffany with Jordan. But who cares? Nothing saying we can't go for pizza, talk to them a bit and see what happens. And I bet if the guys see them being bitches to us, they'll be pissed off."

I shrugged. "Maybe. Nothing saying we can't eat pizza either, I guess."

Becca punched me in the arm. "Exactly!" She exclaimed. "Let's go change and go then, I really don't want to sit at home all night, listening to my mom bitch and moan about my stupid sister."

Becca and I came to her house. She said she'd text me when she was ready to go, and ran inside. I continued down Locust Avenue to my house, which is right next door to Becca's.

My mother's car was not in the driveway, which was not unusual. She is a doctor at the hospital and ever since I started high school, she has been putting in ridiculous amount of hours. I guess she figures I don't need her anymore. I hate coming home to the empty house. It's cold, dark and lonely. I wish I could tell my mother to come home more. But I am supposed to be a big girl, and I should be able to be alone. But it doesn't mean I have to like it.

"Hey Carrot, hey old boy." I crooned to my old dog as I unlocked the front door and walked in. He's kind of an ugly old dog, but he seems like a puppy at times. I think he hates being alone too.

I threw my backpack by the hall closet and kicked my shoes off. Carrot was dancing around my feet, just making sure I didn't forget about him. After feeding him and opening the back door for him to go in and out, I went up to my room and flopped on my bed.

I really didn't want to go out tonight. Okay, maybe I'll rephrase that. I would love to go out. But I just wish I was more comfortable. My parents have told me that I need to get out more, have more of a social life, cause high school is over so fast. But I hate being out of my element. I feel shy and awkward and embarassed. Especially if there's boys around. I don't know how to act around them. I don't know what to say, how to react to their conversations. I don't know how to flirt and I don't know how to tell if I am being flirted with. I have only been kissed once, by James Hobart, this little Australian kid who is actually my age but looks about nine. We were playing Spin the Bottle in 6th grade, and the rest is history.

Beep, beep, beep!

I rolled over and pulled my cell phone out of my jacket pocket. Text from Carolyn Arnold. I have known her since we were in diapers. We have never been super close friends, but always friendly to each other. She usually texts me about once or twice a month, inviting me out to a party or something.

hey char party up millers pit tonite. u should come! if u need a ride let me no im goin up with corrie. hope 2 c u there!

"Oh shit." I muttered to myself. Carolyn is one of those people where, unless your mother is dying, you better be at that party. No if's, and's or but's. She is a super fun girl, she is outgoing and hilarious, but if you have a water bottle, you'd better lie and say its vodka. It's easier to lie to Carolyn about getting drunk than it is to let Carolyn get you drunk and deal with a wicked hangover in the morning.

Hey, you're a crazy bitch, but you fuck so good, I'm on top of it!

Becca's ringtone. My mother hates it. I love it.

"Did you get a text from Carolyn?" Becca greeted me.

"You bet." I answered, walking towards my closet.

"So you wanna go with them?"

I pulled a pair of dark jeans off the hanger and threw them on my bed. "I guess so." I answered. "But I'm hungry. Why don't you see if they are going to go for pizza? Then we can all go up there together."

"Really?"

I shrugged. "Yeah. I mean, why not? It would be fun, I guess."

"Yay!" Becca squealed. "I'll text Carolyn right now and get them to pick us up soon okay?"

"Kay, I'll be ready." I replied, hanging up. I pulled off my jeans and put on the clean ones, then took off my top and put on a purple tank top with a pink and purple plaid men's style button down shirt. I ran a brush though my dark hair, put on some lip gloss and shrugged.

It's not that I don't think I'm pretty. I think I look pretty good. Sometimes, I think I look better than the 'popular' girls. But it doesn't matter if I think that. If I go to school and I think I look good, it doesn't matter. Those girls could wear a potato sack to school and still be drooled on by all the guys. I could have a professional stylist and still not get a date.

"Guess this is as good as it's gonna get." I said to myself, grabbing my jacket off the chair. Carrot was laying under my bed, but when he heard me leave, he trotted down the stairs with me. I think he thought he was going to go for a walk, poor guy. I tried to ignore him as I slipped my shoes on and snuck out the door.

I walked across Becca's backyard and into the back door. I don't have to knock at their house, ever, and Becca never knocks at my house.

"Hello!" I called out, stepping over the sleeping dog on the floor in front of the patio doors.

"We're in here!" a voice called from the kitchen. I walked into the kitchen and saw Becca's mom, Janice, sitting at the table, drinking a tea and helping Becca's brother John Jr. with his homework. I grabbed a cookie off the cooking rack and bit into it. Becca's mom always has fresh cookies or cinnamon buns or some kind of yummy baking. Sometimes my mom buys Oreos.

"You look cute tonight." Janice told me. "What are you girls up to?"

I shrugged. "I guess we're going for pizza, then up to Miller's."

"Becca has been wanting to go up there for ages." Janice told me. "You girls will have a good time. Just call me if something happens with your ride, okay?"

"You know we will." I told her as Becca came bouncing down the stairs.

"Yay, you're here!" She exclaimed. "Corrie just texted me, they will be here in five minutes! Let's go wait outside."

Becca leaned over and kissed her mom goodbye, and ruffled John Jr.'s curly hair. "See you guys later." She said, walking towards the front door. I waved goodbye and followed Becca out the door.

"Get over here, quick!" Becca hissed, leading me to the side of the house. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a vanilla flavoured cigar. We both love them, but if either one of our mothers found out, they would pretty much murder us.

"Yummy." I said as she pulled the wrapper off and lit it. After taking a long drag, she passed the cigar to me. I inhaled deeply, feeling a tiny bit of a head rush already.

"Who are you gonna try to hook up with tonight?" Becca asked me as I passed the smoke back to her. I looked at her like she had three heads.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

Becca laughed and blew the smoke out, trying unsuccessfully to blow O's. "Well, you did say that you wanted to make out with someone. Maybe James will be there." She said teasingly.

"Shut up." I told her, feeling my face turn red. Becca nudged me playfully.

"I'm just joking Char!" She laughed. "Don't be such a stick in the mud. Seriously... there will be a lot of boys there. Bet you could pick whoever you want!"

I scoffed. "Oh please." I answered. "These guys see me everyday at school and don't give me a second glance. Why would tonight be any different? Especially since the Sluts will be there, drunk and easy."

"Char, we really need to work on your confidence." Becca said with a sigh. "If I looked like you, I'd never stop looking in the mirror!"

I rolled my eyes and took the last drag of the cigar, just as Corrie and Carolyn pulled up in Corrie's little piece of crap Toyota. I flicked it on the ground, stomped it out and walked with Becca to the car.

Corrie and Carolyn are two of the coolest girls I know. I have known them both since we were kids, but we didn't really become friends until last year, when Carolyn and I were partners in a year long English project. Becca and I were both going though a crappy time, and Carolyn and Corrie were always up for making new friends. Becca and Carolyn are both very outgoing and fun, and got along great right away, and also helped me come out of the shell I had. Corrie is a year older than the three of us, a junior, and she is completely laid back and easygoing. She is a great person for advice, and has a definite 'big sister' feel to her.

"Heeeey!" Corrie exclaimed as Becca and I climbed into the backseat. "You guys ready to party?"

"You betcha!" Becca replied. "Should be fun!"

Carolyn peered at me though the visor mirror. "How about you Char?" She asked. "You looking forward to it?"

"She's looking forward to making out with someone hot." Becca teased.

"Who?!" Carolyn and Corrie asked in unison.

"Do you have a crush?" Carolyn added.

I shook my head vigorously as Becca laughed. "Nah, she doesn't... At least, I don't think she does!" She joked. "We need to find her a guy."

"Hmm." Corrie pondered. "How about the boy next door, Shea?"

"Or Adam Pike." Carolyn suggested.

"How about Jeff Schafer?" Becca joked. The three girls started laughing. Jeff is a very good looking guy, easily the best looking guy in school. But he's also a drunk, arrogant and the rudest person I've ever met. I would rather stay a virgin for life than have anything to do with him.

"I don't think I should date Shea." I told them. "I've known him since... well, forever."

"I notice how you say you can't date Shea, but say nothing about Adam." Corrie said, grinning.

"Ooh, we're sooo setting her up with Adam!" Becca squealed.

I blushed. Adam Pike is, well, gorgeous. He's got these big, blue-like-the-ocean eyes and dark, almost black, hair. He's tall, muscular, athletic and one of the nicest guys I know. Unfortunately, his sister is Vanessa Pike.

Vanessa and I were great friends since elementary school. I loved spending time at her house, because she's got seven other brothers and sisters, and my house was always empty. We were pretty much inseperable, until we got to high school. I guess people change, and some don't change, and that sometimes tears people apart, I wish I knew what happened between Vanessa and I. I wish I knew if I did something wrong. I wish I didn't have to walk through the halls and avoid her, scared of what she might say to me. Or scared of what she won't say. Sometimes I hope she will forget the last year and just say hi to me. Just be my friend again.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Corrie parked her car in between two pickup trucks after we slowly made our way up the windy, bumpy dirt road. We had stopped halfway there to mix a drink, so the other three of us had a bit of a buzz going on. I was already loosening up and as soon as I heard the music blaring from one of the trucks, I knew we would have a good time.

"So, let's find Adam!" Becca decided, taking my arm. I pulled myself away from her.

"Beck, don't." I pleaded. "I don't want to get embarrassed."

"Then let's get you drunker." Becca joked. "No, I'll lay off, I promise. Let's just have fun!"

I followed Becca, Carolyn and Corrie towards the fire. It was hard to tell who was there yet, until my eyes got used to the lighting. I was just about to take a sip of my drink when I felt someone jump onto my back, as though for a piggy back. I stumbled forward and whirled around. Behind me stood Alfred E. Newman... No, wait. It was Jackie Rodowski, Shea's younger brother and the spitting image of the Mad magazine mascot. He's normally a bit of a klutz, but this was more of a drunken action.

"Chaaaar!" He exclaimed. "I didn't think you did anything but study! I'm so glad you're here!" Jackie stretched his arms out and pulled me in for a hug. He gave me a sloppy smooch on the cheek.

"Oh, Jackie." I groaned, wiggling out of the hug. "I'm so happy to see you too. Just don't jump on me anymore!"

Jackie gave me a wink. "We'll save that for later, right?" He said jokingly, gave me a swat on the butt and walked towards another group of people.

"Ooh, maybe we'll scratch Adam off the list, and put Jackie on there huh?" Corrie teased. I laughed.

"I think when Jackie and I were little, we decided if we weren't married by the time we were, like, forty, we'd get married."

Corrie burst out laughing. "Well, forty is coming up awfully quick... we better find you a guy! Seriously," she added, "why not Adam?"

"I never said anything was wrong with him." I answered. "But he's Vanessa's brother. Can you imagine how awkward that would be if I went over there for dinner or something, and I have to sit across the table from her?"

"So what?" Corrie countered. "Vanessa is not the queen of the universe, as much as she would like to believe it. If you want to date her brother, you go ahead and you date her brother."

"I never said I wanted to date him either!" I protested. "Yeah, he's cute and everything... but I have never had a boyfriend. I don't even know how to flirt!"

"Well, let's go find Adam and say hi." Corrie replied, dismissing everything I just told her.

"Corrie!" I hissed. "I don't know what to do, or say! Please don't embarrass me!"

"I'm not going to!" Corrie insisted. "I'm friends with Adam. Why can't I go say hi to him at a party?"

"Well... okay." I agreed. I grabbed my drink and followed Corrie around the fire, where Adam was talking with his identical triplet brother Jordan. (Byron, the third one, is a bit of an emo-punk kid and spends his time playing guitar in this bad called Burning Sunday... don't ask, cause I don't know). Adam and Jordan were also chatting with Jeff Schafer and Shea Rodowski.

Corrie put her arm around Jordan's neck. "Well, well... four good looking boys and no girls around? Do you guys have some kind of secret to tell us?"

"Yeah." Shea answered with a grin. "Girls have cooties!"

Corrie frowned. "Well... too damn bad! Move over, dude!" She gave Jordan a hip check and he moved over to make room for Corrie and I.

"What's this!?" Shea exclaimed. "Corrie, this pretty girl beside you looks like my little neighbour, but it can't be Charlotte Johanssen, because Charlotte Johanssen studies every weekend!"

"Wow, I think I heard the exact same joke from your little brother a few minutes ago." I laughed. "Original much?"

"We actually traded jokes back and forth on the way up here, cause we knew you'd be coming." Shea replied. "We had to be prepared!"

"I haven't seen you around much, Char." Adam said to me. "It's good to see you up here."

I smiled shyly. "Thanks." I answered. "I guess even nerds need a night out every once in awhile, right Shea?"

Shea shrugged. "That's why I'm out!" He replied, mimicking Conan O'Brien's nerd impression.

"Nah, you're not a nerd." Adam assured me. "You're just the only one here who will actually be able to get into a good college!"

"Hey!" Corrie protested. "What about me?"

"What about you?" Jeff asked, slurring his words a bit. "You'll go to college just to get laaaid... Just like all the other hot girls do."

Corrie rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Jeff." She answered. "You're so sweet."

Jeff laughed loudly. "Just let me know what school you're going to and I'll be there." He took a little step backwards and tried to steady himself.

"I'll Facebook it to you, don't you worry." She told him, but Jeff had already wandered off by the time she finished talking.

"He's such a mess." Corrie said with a laugh.

"He showed up at my house this morning, while I'm getting ready for school, already drunk." Adam said. "He wasn't going to class, and decided to get up at seven AM and drink."

"Sounds like fun." I said dryly.

"I think I'd rather go to Ms. Alverson's history class than be drunk at seven in the morning." Adam said with a laugh.

"I like history." I said. "If it wasn't for Becca, I'd be doing history right now!"

"Thank God for Becca." Adam said with a grin.

Corrie tugged on my arm. "Hey, let's go fill up out drinks!" She said. I glanced down at my half full cup, but Corrie had dragged me away before I could say anything.

"He keeps looking at you." She hissed to me.

"Who does?" I asked dumbly.

Corrie sighed. "Adam, dumbass!" She exclaimed. "He has been staring at you since we went over there!"

I glanced back towards Adam, and thought I saw his head whip around, as if he had just been looking, but I couldn't be sure.

"Maybe." I said. "Maybe he's just surprised to see me out, and thinks he's hallucinating!"

Corrie rolled her eyes. "Seriously Char, " she said, "I really think you could have him tonight!"

"I don't want someone tonight." I told her. "I want someone for more than a night. I want someone who-."

"Bitch, why do you even talk like that?" a voice was yelling, "You're from Connecticut! It's hardly a ghetto."

"Bitch, I'm from New Jersey!" That was Becca's voice. "I can talk however I damn well please, I'm not some fucking cloned idiot like you all seem to be!"

"What's going on?" I asked Corrie. She shrugged, so we walked a bit closer to the argument. Becca was standing with her hands on her hips, hair as wild and curly as ever, staring down Vanessa Pike and Haley Braddock. Haley was the final quarter of our middle school group, but when Vanessa decided she wanted to be cool, Haley went right along with her. They are now teamed up with Tiffany Kilbourne and Kerry Bruno, two of the biggest, dumbest sluts in Stoneybrook history. I guess drinking and stealing and sleeping around makes you cool, whereas going to school, getting good grades and being an overall good person makes you a nerd.

"If we're all such fucking dumb cloned idiots, why are you even here?" Haley slurred to Becca. "You knew we'd be up here! This is our party, with our friends!"

"Last time I checked, this was a free damn country and I can have a drink around any damn fire I want to!" Becca exclaimed. "You don't own this fire pit, you don't own the road coming up here, you don't own shit! So keep your fucking mouth shut and stay the hell away from me!"

"With pleasure." Vanessa sneered. "You probably have scabies or some other shit you got from living in the ghetto!"

"Oh, bitch." Becca snapped. "Now it's on!"

Becca went to lunge at Vanessa, but Corrie and I quickly grabbed her arms.

"So not worth it, Beck." I muttered, pulling her away.

"Oh my God!" Vanessa squealed, her voice dripping with sarcastic sweetness. "It can't be little Charlotte! Didn't you get the memo, Char?" She leaned in closer to me, and I could smell the booze and cigarettes on her breath. "Losers aren't allowed here, no matter how much they want to be cool!"

She giggled and gave me a little push on the shoulder. "Go home to your homework, nerd!" She shouted, pushing me again.

"Vanessa, knock it off!" Adam snapped, coming towards her and grabbing her wrists. "Quit being such a fucking little bitch!

Vanessa scoffed and tried to shake Adam's grasp off of her. "Adam, this party was fun until these little losers showed up! I'm just trying to keep it reeeaaal!"

"This party was fine until you started being a cow to Becca and Char." Adam snapped back. "I think you need to go home." He glanced at Haley, who was slumped over the tailgate of Shea's truck. "And take your drunk friend too."

Vanessa stared at Adam. "Are you being serious?" She asked.

Everyone else was wondering the same thing. Vanessa and Haley usually got like this at parties. They got too drunk, started some fight with whoever would listen, but no one would ever make them leave. Adam would watch out for them, but wouldn't ever tell his own sister, the one he was closest to out of all the Pike kids, to leave.

"Yeah, I'm being serious!" Adam exclaimed. "You've just cause this ridiculous amount of drama, and we don't want that here. So leave."

Jordan and Shea were standing behind Adam, and Jordan shook his keys. "Come on, sis, let's go."

Vanessa scowled at Adam. The she stood against the truck and folded her arms. "Make me."

Jordan raised an eyebrow at Vanessa. "Really?" He asked. "Do you really want me to 'make you'?"

Vanessa glanced at both of her brothers, then rolled her eyes, grabbed her drink and stomped towards Jordan's truck. Before leaving the fire, she stopped directly in front of me.

"Enjoy my party." She jeered, tossing her drink onto my shirt. My mouth dropped and I was speechless as she stumbled away.

"Jesus Christ." Corrie said, shaking her head. "What a bitch!"

My chin started to quiver, and I did not want to cry in front of anyone. I didn't want to give Vanessa the satisfaction of making me cry.

"I'll be back." I said quickly, before pushing past Corrie and Becca and hurrying away from the fire. About twenty feet away, there was a large fallen log, so I sat on it with my back to the crowd, buried my face in my hands and started to cry. My friends, especially Becca, know that when I'm upset, I need to be alone. I don't let anyone see me cry. I mean, Becca has, of course, but I don't like her to. I especially didn't want Corrie or Carolyn to see me crying. I didn't want them to think any less of me.

"Char?" I heard a voice behind me and quickly wiped my face with my shirt sleeve. I turned around and saw Adam standing behind me. I wanted to tell him to go away, because I did not want him to see me cry, but I couldn't get the words out. I turned back around and continued sobbing.

Adam swung his leg over the log and sat beside me. "I'm really sorry about my sister." He apologized.

"You don't have to apologize for her." I said, sniffling. "But thanks for stepping in."

"I wasn't about to let my sister bully someone who used to be her best friend." Adam answered. "Here."

I looked over and he was holding out a big, grey zip up hoodie. "I know it's going to be kind of big," he said, "but it will keep you warm, at least."

I smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Adam." I answered, pulling the hoodie on.

Adam cleared his throat. "Um, you should probably... you should take the wet- the damp- shirt off first." He told me. "Otherwise you might catch a cold."

"I can't take my shirt off in public!" I said, blushing. "I'd rather catch the cold!"

Adam laughed. "It's dark out, Char." He stated. "No one will see."

"You'll see."

"I won't look!" Adam promised. "Look, stand up."

I stood up and faced Adam. He took me by the shoulders and turned me around. Then he stood directly behind me.

"I'll use the hoodie as a shield." He said. "Take it off and give it to me."

I turned my head and looked at him. "Promise you won't peek?" I asked.

"Promise." Adam assured me.

I felt really uncomfortable, but Adam was right, I would get sick, and I know I would reek of booze all night if I kept my shirt on. I went to unzip the zipper, but it wouldn't budge.

"The zipper is stuck." I complained, wiggling it up and down a bit more.

Adam came and stood in front of me and wiggled the zipped. "Damn thing." He muttered. "It does this sometimes."

"It probably doesn't matter." I told him. He came and stood back behind me.

"Let me try it from this way." He said, reaching his arms across my shoulders and grabbing ahold of the zipper. "Watch your chin, kay?"

"Kay." I said, not thinking of my chin, but thinking of his hands so close to my chest, and his body so close to my body. This isn't how people usually unstick zippers, is it? I wasn't going to complain though. He smelled awfully good.

"I can't get this stupid thing." He said, fiddling with the zipper a bit more. Then he backed away and shrugged.

"You can just pull it off over your head, probably." He told me. I pulled the sweater up and off my head.

"That was easy." I said with a small laugh. I sat back down on the log and tried to mess with the zipper. Adam sat back down beside me.

"You doing okay?" He asked. "You were crying when I came up, weren't you?"

I blushed. "Yeah... I was." I admitted. "I didn't want to cry over there. I'm not really a cry-in-front-of-people kinda girl."

"Yeah, I can understand that." Adam answered. "Here, let me try that."

I handed him the hoodie and pulled my knees up to my chest. Away from the fire, and with a wet top on, it was really cold out.

"There we go." Adam announced, holding the hoodie open. "Stand up."

I stood up again and Adam stood behind me, holding the hoodie wide open and curved into the sides a bit. I unbuttoned my top and peeled it off, holding it between my knees. I was hoping to leave my tank top on, but it was more wet than the top, so I had to take it off. I pulled it up and felt the cold air against my back and stomach. I was hoping Adam wasn't looking at me at all. Even though I wasn't taking my bra off, I didn't want him to look at my back or stomach.

Adam set the hoodie on my shoulders and I slid my arms though and zipped it up. I turned back around and smiled at him.

"Thanks a lot for this." I said. "I really appreciate it."

"No worries at all." Adam answered. "Hey... can I ask you a question?"

I felt a nervousness in the pit of my stomach, the way I feel when anyone wants to ask me my opinion on something... Except this was about a hundred times more intense.

"Sure." I managed to squeak out. Adam sat back on the log and I sat beside him.

Adam cleared his throat. "You sure have changed over the last couple years, Char."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You don't seem like the same girl who used to come over and annoy the shit out of me with Vanessa." He said, laughing. "I mean, you do... but you don't."

I laughed a little. "I still don't know what you mean, or what you want to ask me." I told him.

Adam ran his hand though his hair. "You were always cute." He said. "Cute in like a little kid way. You know, with the braids and the dimples."

"Um... okay?" I asked. I was still so confused. Nothing Adam was saying was a question, or even making much sense to me.

"I guess when I say you changed, I don't mean personality wise." He said. "You are still shy and sweet and so smart. I guess I mean in the looks."

I furrowed my brow and looked at him. "So... what?" I asked. "I'm not cute anymore?"

Adam grinned at me, almost shyly. "I would say you were more along the lines of beautiful." He told me.

"You think I'm beautiful?" I asked him. Adam nodded.

"I think you're more than beautiful." He admitted. "I think you're gorgeous... sexy."

Did Adam Pike honestly just call me sexy? I don't think that word goes with my name, unless you are going to say, Charlotte, you are not sexy!

I could feel my face getting more red by the second. I was scared as to what would come next. Was he going to ask me out? Worse, was he going to try to kiss me? I wouldn't even know what to do if that happened.

Unfortunately, I didn't have any time to think about it. Adam leaned towards me and went to kiss me. My eyes went wide in shock. I didn't know how to react, so I quickly pushed him away and stood up.

"Um, thanks for the sweater!" I muttered, then turned and ran back towards my friends. Becca was leaning against a truck, chatting with Corrie.

"Guys!" I said breathlessly. "We need to leave now."

"Whose sweater?" Becca asked me.

"We need to go now." I repeated, more desperately.

Corrie looked at me, confused. "Well, I can drive you home if you really want to go." She told me.

I nodded. "Yes, please." I answered. "Can we go now?"

"I'm coming too." Becca said quickly. "Something's up."

"Whatever, let's just go." I said, turning towards the car. Someone reached out and grabbed my arm before I could go any further. It was Adam.

"Are you leaving?" He asked me.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I think so." I answered.

"Was it something I did?"

I glanced back at Becca and Corrie, who were both staring at Adam and I. I cleared my throat. "Um, no." I told him. "Maybe. No. No, it was me. I'm sorry."

"Why do girls always say that?" Adam asked with a sigh. "'It's not you, it's me'."

"But it's true." I told him. "I just... I don't know. I'm just going to go home."

"Sure you don't want to stay?"

I shook my head. "No... I want to go home."

Adam shrugged. "Okay." he said dejectedly. "See you around, I guess." With that, he turned and wandered back towards his friends, without a second glance back at me.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"He did _what_?!" Becca shrieked from the backseat of Corrie's car. "Are you fucking serious?"

"Why the hell did you want to leave?" Corrie asked me. "Shit, if Adam Pike tried to make out with me, I'd be all over him!"

I put my head in my hands. "Oh, man, I don't know!" I moaned. "Was he drunk?"

Corrie shook her head. "No, I know Adam when he's drunk, and he wasn't drunk at all tonight."

"So it was totally legit!" Becca exclaimed. "He really does like you, it wasn't the booze talking!"

"So really, why did you want to leave so badly?" Corrie persisted. "Why didn't you want to kiss him?"

I shrugged. "I have no idea!" I answered. "I don't know... I don't know what a kiss is even supposed to be like. I got embarrassed, I guess."

Becca rubbed my shoulders from the back seat. "Don't be embarrassed Char." She told me. "If Adam wanted a quick fuck or something, there was plenty of other girls there tonight that would have done the job. The fact that he came over to you when you were upset, gave you his jacket... I think he really does like you!"

"He doesn't even know me anymore!" I protested.

"It's only been a year since we stopped hanging out with Vanessa." Becca reminded me. "He's not going to forget you in a year!"

"He told me I was sexy." I admitted. Corrie and Becca stared at me. "And gorgeous, and beautiful." I added, feeling myself getting more embarrassed as I talked.

"Jeez!" Becca whistled. "Let's turn around, I don't want you to let this guy slip between your fingers."

"No, I want to go home!" I said firmly.

"Why?!" Becca asked. "We've asked you a hundred times, and you haven't really given us a straight answer. What is so bad about Adam liking you?"

"Nothing, except for the fact that he is super hot, really popular and experienced, and I'm none of the above." I answered. "I haven't even kissed a guy, really, and Adam is definitely not a virgin!"

"Who the hell cares, Char?" Corrie exclaimed. "He likes you, I don't think he cares whether you're a virgin or not."

"Well, I care." I told them. "So let's just drop it, okay?"

"Okay." Becca and Corrie replied in unison. I slumped in my seat and watched the moon follow us home.

I guess there isn't anything wrong with Adam liking me, if he actually does. I guess lots of girls would like to be in my shoes. But I think I would feel so nervous and uncomfortable being with a guy who was so obviously more experienced than I am.

"Char." Becca began, breaking the silence. "I think you need to lighten up."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked her.

"Quit worrying about whether or not Adam is a virgin, quit worrying about your difference in experience levels. Just quit worrying and just live a little. You worry way too much for a fifteen year old girl. I'm not saying you need to become a Slutateer," she continued, "but... just enjoy life. You're going to wake up one day and realize, damn, I could have dated one of the hottest guys in high school but instead, I sat at home and studied, and now I am a crazy cat lady!"

Corrie stifled a giggle, then glanced and me and straightened her face. "I'm sorry Char, but she's right." She told me. "Life is too short to spend it worrying about being embarrassed. You have nothing to be embarrassed about!"

"I don't want to talk about it." I told them. "Thank you for your advice. I'll think about it. Now, let's drop it."

We drove the rest of the way in silence. I felt bad about snapping at my friends who were only trying to help, but Corrie has never had a hard time finding a guy, and Becca has so much confidence, it's ridiculous. Neither one of them knows what it feels like to be a shy, inexperienced girl.

"Thanks for the ride." I said as Corrie pulled into my driveway.

Becca opened the back door to take my place in the passenger seat. "Char, please just think about what I said okay?" She asked. "That's all I ask, just think about it."

I nodded. "I will." I promised.

"Okay." Becca said, holding out her arms. I hugged her goodbye, waved and Corrie and walked up the front walk to the door. I didn't worry about washing my face or brushing my teeth. I went up to my room, tore off my jeans and Adam's sweatshirt and crawled into bed. I couldn't wait for this night to be over.

"... high of sixty two today. Right now, it's 7:30 and fifty three degrees in downtown Stamford."

I rolled over and turned off my alarm clock, forgetting that I didn't unset my alarm last night. Rather than hitting snooze, I threw back the covers and climbed out of bed. As soon as I stood up, I spotted Adam's sweatshirt on the floor, and all of last night's memories came flooding back.

"Oh, God!" I moaned, flopping back into bed. I rubbed my hands over my eyes and sighed. Now, in the light of day, I realized that I was an idiot. Adam probably went home with some skanky girl, and I missed my chance.

"Stupid, stupid girl!" I said to myself. I groaned and sat up, pulled on a pair of sweatpants and grabbed Adam's shirt. I walked out of my room and into the laundry room, threw his shirt and some towels into the washer and turned it on. Then I wandered downstairs. My mother was actually home, she was sitting at the table having a coffee and reading the paper. She smiled at me when she heard me coming down the stairs.

"Hi honey." She said. "How was your night last night?"

I slumped into a chair and rested my chin in my hands. "It was good, except for the whole thing."

Mom laughed. "What happened?"

I sighed. "Well, Becca and Vanessa and Haley got into a fight, and then Vanessa decided to throw her drink on me."

Mom shook her head. "I can't believe how that girl has turned out." She said. "I'm so happy that you and Becca didn't follow in her stupid footprints."

"Me too." I said. "I miss being her friend, but I don't want to be her friend now, not with how she is."

Mom stood up and kissed my head. "You're a good girl, Charlotte Johanssen." She told me. She put her coffee cup in the sink and stretched her arms. "I have to get ready to go, I have to pop in the office for a few hours this morning."

I let out a small sigh. I love my mother, and I love that she loves her career. But I wish she didn't work so much. She is very successful, but I miss her. Same with my father. He is a structural engineer, and ever since 9/11, he has been working more and more in Manhattan. He even has an apartment he stays at during the week, and sometimes on the weekend. I never really see him anymore. I miss him.

Mom ruffled my hair. "I'll be home for dinner tonight." She told me. "And Dad should be home early this afternoon. How about we order Chinese and have a family night?"

I smiled. "Really?"

"Really." Mom answered. "I'll be home by three at the absolute latest!"

"Okay." I agreed. Mom ruffled my hair as she walked past me and up the stairs. I stood up and poured myself a bowl of Cheerios, a glass of orange juice and wandered into the living room.

When you're a kid, the best part of Saturday morning is the cartoons. Now that I have pretty much outgrown the cartoons, the best part of Saturday morning is the reruns of The Cosby Show, Full House and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I settled onto the big, overstuffed chair and flicked on the TV.

After about an hour and a half, I decided to stop being lazy and go have a shower and get dressed. I went into the kitchen and rinsed out my cereal bowl. I was about to head upstairs when I heard a knock on the door. I dried my hands and opened the front door. I nearly shut it as soon as I opened it.

"Hey, Char." It was Adam, standing on my front steps, looking extremely gorgeous, and me, in an old tanktop and stained sweatpants. I self consciously crossed my arms across my chest and brushed my hair out of my eyes.

"Hi." I answered shyly. "What are you- how are you?" I changed my question as to not sound so rude.

"I'm good, how are you doing?" He asked.

I nodded. "I'm good too."

"Good." Adam said with a smile. We both stood there in silence for a few moments.

"Hey, um... do you want to come in, or something?" I asked him.

"Sure." Adam answered. I stepped aside, and he followed me into the house. I quickly grabbed an old sweater of my moms from the closet and led Adam into the kitchen.

"I um, I have your sweater." I told him. "It's in the wash."

"Oh, you didn't have to wash it." Adam said, grinning. "But thanks."

"I'll just go put it in the dryer." I said, wishing it was already in the dryer and not going to take forty five minutes to now dry. I ran up the stairs and threw his sweatshirt in the dryer. I stopped into my room and threw on a bra, a longer t-shirt and a pair of socks. After I quickly finger combed my hair, I went back downstairs. Adam was sitting at the table, flipping though the paper.

"Sorry." I apologized. "I would of had it in there already if I knew you were coming over."

"No worries." Adam told me. "I um... I came over cause I talked to Becca last night. After you left."

"What did you talk about?" I asked, feeling a nervous pit in my stomach.

"You, mostly." He said with a small grin.

"What about me?" I couldn't help asking.

Adam took a deep breath. "Well." He began. "She came up to me as soon as she got back from dropping you off and asked me point blank if I liked you."

I was quiet, waiting to hear the rejection from him. Adam grinned at me.

"Don't you want to know what I said?" He asked me.

"Do I?" I asked him quietly. I just knew he was going to tell me that he was just a bit drunk last night (no matter what Corrie said) and was sorry for embarrassing me.

Adam gave me a cute, crooked smile. "Well, I guess that depends on whether you like me or not." He told me. He suddenly got a bit shy and started rolling the corners of the newspaper up. "Truth is..." He started. "I do like you."

_Whaa-aa-at?_

"I think you're a super awesome girl." He continued. "You're cute and sweet... and last night, when you pushed me away... I think that was a smart thing. I mean, you're not one of those girls, and I know you're not one of them, so I shouldn't have put you in the situation to be one of them. I'm sorry for that. I do like you though. I really do."

"Really?" I asked shyly.

"Really." Adam answered. "Is that... okay? I mean... how do you feel about me? Do I want to know?"

I smiled at him. "I like you too." I told him. "Last night... I got scared. I mean, you're older and more experienced-."

Adam cut me off. "Char, I don't care about any of that." He told me. "I don't want you to think I'm some kind of playboy, cause I'm not. We'll leave that one up to Jeff."

"I don't think that." I said. "I just don't want you to expect anything from me."

"Never." He said firmly. "We can go slow. Like... how about coffee?"

"Yeah." I said with a smile. "I'd like that."

Adam grinned. "And just so you know." He added. "I really do think you're beautiful."

Later that day, Adam came by my house again to pick me up. I told him he needed to let me shower and get ready before he could take me out. I think he went and cleaned out his truck, because when I got in it, I could still smell the Armoral.

"Where would you like to go?" He asked me, climbing in and starting the engine.

I shrugged. "I don't know." I answered. "Um... The Rosebud?"

"My favourite." Adam declared, pulling out of my driveway. He drove up Locust Avenue and turned right onto Burnt Hill Road, heading downtown.

"Hey, Adam?" I asked. "Do you think anyone will care, or say anything, if we are seen together?"

"Do you really care?" He asked back.

I shrugged. "No, but I can think of a few people who might not like it."

"Like who?"

"Like your sister."

Adam laughed. "My sister is hungover in bed, she's not going to be at the Rosebud." He assured me.

"I don't mean just at the Rosebud." I said. "I mean, like... just in general."

"Like around school and stuff?"

"Are we going to be hanging around at school?"

Adam glanced sideways at me. "Jeez, it's no wonder you're so smart." He teased. "You never stop asking questions!"

I blushed fiercely. "Sorry." I mumbled. "I just... Vanessa gives me a hard enough time at school."

"Trust me, my sister won't be harassing you anymore." Adam assured me. "And if she does, she'll probably regret it. Big brothers can be kind of evil you know."

He gave me a wink and I smiled. "Okay." I said. "As long as you're sure."

We pulled into the parking lot at the Rosebud. It looked a little busy and I suddenly got nervous. I was really hoping that neither Vanessa nor Haley were in there. Or Tiffany and Kerry for that matter. Any one of them would have some sort of smart remark to say about me being in the Rosebud with Adam.

I opened the door and jumped out of the truck. Adam walked over to my side of the truck and immediately laughed.

"What?" I asked. "What are you laughing at?"

He touched his lip. "You have a chunk of Chapstick on your lip." He told me with a grin.

"Where?" I asked, carefully touching my lips. He stepped closer to my and put his finger on my lips. I stared into his gorgeous eyes as he came closer.

"Right there." He said softly, taking my chin in his hands and pulling my face towards his. Then he kissed me, my first real kiss. It was soft, gentle and sweet. It was a good thing I had just put Chapstick on!

Adam pulled back and smiled at me. "You sure you haven't done that before?" He asked. "Cause you seem pretty good to me!"

I smiled up at him, and, in an amazing move of boldness that no one would ever believe I did, I took Adam's hand into mine as we walked into the cafe.

We sat down at a small corner booth and waited for our waitress to come over. We were both silent as we flipped though the menus, deciding on what we wanted to drink. Before we had made up our minds, a boisterous, blonde haired guy jumped into the booth beside me.

"Holy fucking Christ!" Jeff Schafer exclaimed. "Am I seeing what I'm seeing? Am I _really _seeing what I'm seeing? Damn, I don't remember this little match at all from last night."

"Maybe you would have if you weren't passed out by ten." Adam joked.

"You know, Pike, just cause I have balls and you don't, doesn't mean you have to get all parental on me." Jeff countered. "Speaking of balls, how you doin', Char?"

"Just fine, thank you." I answered, not taking my eyes off the menu. Jeff whistled under his breath.

"Damn, you sure found a cold one here!" He exclaimed. "I didn't even know Charlotte knew that there was a world outside her house and fucking school!"

"Jeff, shut up." Adam said. "Come on."

Jeff held up his hands. "Okay, okay." He said. "Sorry Char... But what is this?" He squeezed in closer to me and leaned over the table towards Adam, as if the three of us were going to have some deep, intimate conversation. "Are you guys like... humping each other?"

"We're actually just having coffee for now." I snapped at him.

"I like how you said 'for now'." Jeff said with a laugh. "Now we all know what's on Charlotte's mind! They don't teach that kind of animal behaviour in biology, do they?"

"Maybe if you went to bio once in awhile, you'd know." I told him. Adam started to laugh.

"Fine, fine, I can take a hint." Jeff said. "But hey, Char, I heard that their freezer is broken. You might want to go sit on some ice cream, you know, to keep it cold and all."

"Bye, Jeff." Adam said bluntly. Jeff grinned and stood up, giving us a little 'toodle-loo' wave as he wandered back to his table.

Adam laughed. "You do have a couple good comebacks on you, kid."

"I know he's a friend of yours, but I think he is so obnoxious." I told Adam.

"Yeah, he is." Adam agreed. "You handled him well though. Jeff only razzes people who let him, basically. Shoot a few snappy comebacks at him and you'll be fine."

I laughed. "His little ice cream remark was kind of funny though."

"It won't be once you hear it six or seven times a day!" Adam laughed. "Anyway, did you decide what you're having?"

"I think I'm just going to have a hot chocolate." I said, after glancing over the menu one more time.

"As long as you get it with extra whipped cream, I'm fine with that." Adam teased as our waitress came over to take our order.

Adam and I had a great time. I couldn't believe how comfortable I felt with him. I told him about my parents working so much, and feeling neglected, and he told me that he felt the same a lot of the time, having to share his attention with so many other siblings, especially when a couple of them- namely Vanessa- are such trouble makers. We made fun of Vanessa always talking in rhyme when she was nine and shared stories we had about one another from when I spent nearly every waking moment at the Pike's house. He told me the pressure he feels from his parents to go away to college, when all he wants to do is go into a trade, and I told him of the same pressures I feel, having a doctor for a mom and an engineer for a dad. We also laughed a lot. It felt really good laughing with him.

After about an hour, we decided it was time to go. Adam suggested we go for a little drive, and I agreed. After we paid (well, he paid), we walked hand in hand back out to the parking lot. Adam walked me to the passenger side of the truck, but before he unlocked the door for me, he nudged me against the door and leaned in to kiss me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. We were mid lip-lock when a shrill voice came from behind us.

"What the _fuck _is this?!"

Adam and I broke apart, and standing behind us, arms crossed and fuming mad, was Vanessa Pike.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks for the reviews so far! I am enjoying writing this story, and I'm glad to get positive reviews!_

_I created a 'Stoneybrook High Yearbook' with pictures of who I chose to 'portray' each character. I will be adding more as I find good pictures (haha!) The link is:_

_good-times. webshots. com/album/567881917SKCDOM (delete the space before the W and the com)_

_Any suggestions for cast would be appreciated as well :)_

Chapter Four

"What the fuck _is _this?" Vanessa repeated when Adam and I didn't answer her. "Is this why you made me leave last night, so I wouldn't catch you making out with this loser?"

"You know what, Vanessa?" Adam asked. "I think the only loser out here is you."

Vanessa scoffed. "Oh please!" She laughed. "I am only trying to protect you!"

"Protect him from what?" I spoke up. "From _me_? You actually think that I am that evil as to do something to hurt your brother?"

"Well, why do you think we aren't friends anymore?" Vanessa asked me. "I didn't just wake up one morning and decide, Hmm, I don't think I want to be friends with Charlotte anymore."

"Uh, yeah, you pretty much did, actually!" I replied. "I did nothing wrong to you or Haley, and you guys just ditched me and Becca for no good reason."

"Well, we would of had to stop being friends eventually anyway." Vanessa said, glancing at mine and Adam's hands still joined. "Real friends wouldn't go after someone's brother."

"We aren't friends anymore!" I shouted, getting angry. "I can hold hands or kiss or do whatever with whoever I want, _including _your brother! I don't need your fucking permission!"

"Whatever." Vanessa said. "I think that you, Adam, are making a huge mistake. And don't come crying to me when she's ripped out your heart and is friggin disecting it in the bio lab." With that, she turned on her heals and stomped inside.

Adam stood in front of me and rubbed his hands up my arms. "You okay?" He asked. "I honestly didn't think she would be leaving the house today. I'm really sorry."

"I don't want you to always feel like you have to apologize for your sister being a bitch." I told him. "Cause, let's face it, you will be apologizing a lot!"

Adam grinned, opening my door for me. I climbed in and he joined me on the other side. Then he said. "What really did happen with you and Becca, and my sister and Haley?" He asked. "I mean, one day, you just stopped coming over."

I sighed as I did up my seatbelt. "Basically, Haley and Vanessa wanted to drink and be sluts, and Becca and I didn't... so we separated, and they went off with Kerry and Tiffany."

"I still can't believe my brother is dating Tiffany." Adam said. "I can't really see it lasting though. She is way too much of a hooch."

"I don't like her at all." I said. "I think she is honestly the dumbest person I have ever met in my life. She is in my bookkeeping class, and she seriously thought it was a class on how to organize the library!"

Adam started to laugh. "Yeah, that sounds about like Tiffany!" He said. "She is dumb as a post, and Jordan only sees her tits."

"What did Vanessa tell you happened between the four of us?" I asked.

"She said that you and Becca were ditching them for Corrie and Carolyn, and that her and Haley felt so left out, they decided to find new friends as well." Adam told me with a snicker.

"Yeah, except for the fact that none of that's true." I answered. "We didn't become friends with Corrie and Carolyn until after Haley and Vanessa ditched us."

"I know." Adam answered. "I found it weird that she told me this like six months after you guys did 'split up'"

"It took her that long to think of a good lie, I suppose." I answered with a laugh.

"So, what are you doing for the rest of the day?" Adam asked me as he turned down my street.

"I have to have dinner with my parents tonight." I replied. "Supposedly, anyway. My mother said she wouldn't be long at the office, and she's still gone."

"She works a lot huh?"

I nodded. "Yeah." I said. "Too much. I miss her. I wish she was home when I got home from school. Or at least, you know, before I went to bed."

"Your dad isn't home a lot either, is he?"

I shook my head. "No, he's in New York during the week, sometimes he stays there over the weekend too, depending on Mom's shifts and stuff. I worry about them sometimes."

"You mean their marriage?"

"Yeah... They never see each other! How can they possibly have a good relationship?"

Adam shrugged. "I don't know." He said. "Maybe it works for them. You know, absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"I don't know." I said. "They have had some problems in the past. Right before my dad started working away. And I know they had problems when I was younger, because Dad wanted more kids and Mom didn't."

"Really?" Adam asked, pulling into my driveway. "Who told you that?"

"My Auntie Nell."

"So you're worried they might get a divorce?"

I nodded. "I tend to worry about a lot of things that I don't really need to worry about." I admitted to Adam.

He laughed. "_Nooo_!" He answered teasingly. He took my hand and pulled me into the middle seat. I curled my legs up onto the seat beside me and snuggled against his chest. He smelled so good, his arms fit perfectly around my shoulders.

"I really like you, Char." He told me, twirling a lock of my hair around his finger. "I know that I said we should take things slow, but I mean, it's not like I just met you. I've known you practically my whole life.

"Um, so..." He continued. "This is kind of an awkward question to ask, but there's not really any other way to ask it. Do you want to... you know, be my girlfriend?"

Did I want to be Adam Pike's girlfriend? Was he really asking me that? I glanced up at him and he was looking down at me, with a shy, little smile on his face. Was it moving too fast? Maybe. But I was already in the 10th grade, and I have never had a boyfriend, never had a real kiss until a few hours ago. And Adam was right. It wasn't like we just met. We have known each other our whole lives. We know each others friends and families. And I felt comfortable with him. After I went though those few facts in my head, I sat up straight and looked at him with a smile.

"Yeah." I answered. "I really do."

Adam's face turned to relief and then a huge grin spread over his face. He pulled me back towards him, cupped my face with his hands and kissed me. I was really starting to enjoy all these kisses!

We had only been kissing for a couple minutes when all of a sudden, there was a loud knock on the drivers side window. Adam and I both jumped, and then turned beet red when we saw who was staring into the window.

My father.

"Jesus Christ." I muttered under my breath. Dad indicated to Adam to roll down the window.

"Hi, Pike Boy." Dad said, obviously not knowing which one he was.

"Adam." Adam said, extending his hand out the window. "Hi, Mr. Johanssen."

Dad politely shook Adam's hand, but I could tell that he wasn't impressed catching his fifteen year old daughter making out with someone in his driveway.

"You might want to go home and wash your face." Dad told Adam. "Looks like you got a bit of my daughters lipstick on your face."

"Oh, my God, Dad." I mumbled, burying my face in my hands. I don't think I have even been more embarrassed, and we all know that I embarrass a little easily.

Adam blushed and nodded. "Okay." He answered. He turned and looked at me. "I guess I'll, um... call you later?"

I nodded and glanced at my dad, who was still standing beside Adam's truck. I didn't care. I leaned over and planted a kiss on Adam's now-pink lips.

"See you soon." I said, grabbing my purse and sliding out the passenger door. My dad was waiting to walk with me to the front door.

"So what was that all about, Charlie?" Dad asked me, opening the front door.

I shrugged. "I was just kissing him." I told him.

"Why were you kissing him?"

"Cause he's my boyfriend." I told him. Dad turned and looked at me in shock and shook his head.

"No..." He said, opening the fridge and getting out a beer. "No, you are way too young to have a boyfriend!"

"Da-aa-ad!" I exclaimed. "I'm fifteen years old! Most girls who are fifteen have boyfriends! Becca had her first boyfriend when she was thirteen."

Dad looked at me as if he hadn't seen me before. "Jeez." He said under his breath. "You really are fifteen. You're not a little girl anymore. A few more months and you'll be driving, then graduating..." Dad sounded wistful. "Time sure flies, doesn't it?"

I nodded. "Dad, I really like Adam." I said. "And you know his family, you know he's a good guy."

Dad nodded. "I know, hon." He said. "But you know that no guy is ever going to be good enough for my baby girl."

I smiled. "Thanks, Dad." I replied. I stood up. "I'm going to go call Becca. Mom is bringing Chinese food home, she said."

"I'll give her a call." Dad said, picking up the phone. I ran upstairs to my bedroom and hit '2' on my cell phone, speed dialing her.

"Oh, my God." She answered. "I'm hearing rumours about you!"

I laughed. "What are you hearing?"

"Well, Marilyn and Carolyn were having lunch at the Rosebud, and Vanessa was in there, freaking out to Jeff about her brother and you, making out in the friggin parking lot! What the hell is up?!"

"Oh, not much." I said nonchalantely. "Adam came by to get his sweater this morning. He invited me for coffee, we kissed-"

"You really kissed?" Becca exclaimed. "Yay, that is _so _exciting!"

"Yeah." I agreed. "The best kiss was definitely right after he asked me to be his girlfriend."

"Whaa-aa-at?!" Becca screeched. "Are you fucking serious? No, you're lying. Did he really?"

I was laughing by this point, feeling almost giddy. "Yeah, I'm friggin serious!

"Did you say yes?"

"Of course!"

I had to hold the phone away from my ear because Becca squeeled so loudly. "Oh, my God, Char!" She exclaimed. "I'm so happy for you! I told you so, I told you he liked you!"

"Do you think... I should have waited to say yes?" I asked her. "I'm really worried about what people will say."

"Like Vanessa?"

I snickered. "Well, I already heard what Vanessa had to say!"

"If Adam was someone else... like, someone you didn't grow up with, then I would say yes." Becca told me. "But you have known him since the beginning of time! I think that it was just waiting to happen."

I smiled. My face was starting to hurt, I couldn't stop smiling!

"I think it will be good." Becca assured me. "Adam is a really good guy, you know that. I think that he will bring you out of your shell a bit more, which, less face it, is a really good thing!"

I laughed. "Yeah, I know." I replied. "I did kiss him in front of my dad. I'd say that's pretty bold."

"Holy shit, and your dad didn't kill him?"

"Not yet." I answered with a giggle.

"Well, I am really happy for you." Becca said. "I don't think its too fast, and I wouldn't worry about what anyone else will say. They will just be jealous!"

"Thanks, Beck." I answered. "I have to go, I hear my dad yelling at me downstairs. We are having a 'family dinner' tonight."

"Well, give me a call later, if you're not too busy with your boyfriend." Becca teased. I giggled. I love that word!

"I will." I told her. "I'll talk to you later!"

"Bye, Mrs. Pike." Becca said with a laugh before hanging up.

I laughed and closed my phone, then headed back downstairs. My dad was setting the table in the kitchen.

"Is Mom on her way home?" I asked.

Dad nodded and handed me a few forks. "She called me from Uncle Ed's, she is just waiting at the restaurant for our takeout to be ready."

"Yummy." I said approvingly. Uncle Ed's makes the best Chinese food I have ever had.

"So, did you have to go and get your little girl talk over with?" Dad asked me teasingly.

"Of course." I replied, pulling a packet of iced tea out of the cupboard. I dumped it into a juice jug and watched the dust rise. I have always loved making the instant iced tea. I have no idea why. Maybe it was the first 'kitchen' thing my mother let me do. I filled the jug with water and stirred it up.

"How come when I left two weeks ago, you were a little girl, and now you're a teenager with a boyfriend?" Dad asked.

"Well, I'd like to think its about time." I told him, adding some ice cubes to the iced tea.

"I just hope he doesn't get in the way of your studies." Dad told me, setting some serving spoons on the table.

I rolled my back. That's my parents for you. Always about the school. Study hard, don't get good grades, get the best grades. I remember when I came home with my first test in European History. I was a year younger than most people in the class and I got 88. I was so excited, but my mother looked over my test and asked me why I didn't get 100. Dad drilled me for weeks at the dinner table over European History. Most parents would have been so proud of 88. Mine wished it was higher.

"Dad..." I told him. "I will always get good grades."

"Good grades won't get you into Yale." Dad reminded me.

I sighed. "Do we have to have this conversation right now, Dad?" I begged. "I am only in the 10th grade. I have a long ways to go before college."

"How well you do in the 10th grade determines how well you'll do in the 11th grade." Dad stated. "11th grade is when it starts to matter. If you don't study this year, next year will be twice as hard."

I took a deep breath and blew it out towards my bangs. "Okay." I said simply, hoping I could get him to drop the school subject.

Luckily, I was saved by my mom. She pushed open the front door, arms loaded with two paper bags filled with egg rolls, chop suey, sweet and sour pork and other yummy good stuff. Dad reached down the stairs to help her, and passed one of the bags back to me. I set it on the counter and started pulling the take out containers out and opening them up. The aroma was making my stomach growl, so I stole a chunk of pork out of one of the containers.

Mom swatted my butt. "Jeez, are you starving or something?" She joked, stealing a baby corn out of the other container before taking both and setting them on the table.

I grabbed two more containers and the fortune cookies and set them on the table as well. Mom gave me a grin as she passed the chop suey to me.

"Dad tells me you have a boyfriend now." She said with a smile. "And it's a Pike boy too! Talk about a small town or what?"

I scooped some chop suey onto my plate and passed it onto Dad. "Yeah, well, he's a nice guy and I really like him." I told her. "Nothing wrong with that."

Mom laughed. "No one said there was, honey." She assured me. "Adam is the one out of the three that I would pick for you anyway. Jordan seems a bit stuck on himself, and Byron... well, he's just a little left of center."

"So you don't think its bad if I have a boyfriend?" I asked her. "Like, you don't think it will get in the way of school?"

"If it does, then you have a problem." Mom told me. "But I think you can manage a boyfriend, social life and homework."

"We want you to do well in school, Charlie." Dad said, cutting up his eggroll. "But we want you to have a social life and enjoy being a kid too. Just don't start slacking off in school."

"I've never been a slacker before, Dad." I told him. "I'm not going to start now."

"Good." Dad answered with a smile. "Now, we can drop the school subject, because I'm sure Charlie is done talking about it."

I smiled. "Yes, please." I laughed.

Dinner with my parents is generally pretty boring. Not that I don't love my parents. But I can only listen to stories about dupuytren contractures or vierendeel trusses so many times (I'll let you figure out which parent talks about which of those boring subjects). So while they discussed their past couple weeks, I spaced out, chewing my food dreamily and thinking about Adam. His beautiful eyes, his adorable, crooked smile, his amazing body. Not only his hunk appeal, but his personality. Everyone likes him, everyone wants to be his friend, or date him. He's never shunned anyone based on what the crowd goes with. Not like his sister. I was hoping that dinner would be over soon so that I could hang out with him, maybe practice our kissing a bit more.

"Char, are you done?" I snapped out of my daydream, and saw my mom standing over me, holding her empty plate.

"Oh... oh yeah, thanks." I said, handing her my plate. Mom laughed.

"And so it begins." She joked, rinsing off the plates. "Soon all your notebooks will be covered in 'Mrs. Adam Pike' in swirly, dreamy handwriting."

"Mom, shut up." I mumbled. She continued laughing, and handed me a fortune cookie. I opened it up and blushed.

"What does yours say, Char?" Mom asked, opening hers.

"Read yours first." I suggested.

Mom cleared her throat. "You are careful and systematic in your business arrangements." She read. "Well, that's boring. What about yours, Rob?"

Dad opened his up. "You can open doors with your charm and patience." Dad read out loud. "Sounds pretty accurate to me!"

"Your turn, Char." Mom told me. "What does it say?"

I shook my head. "I'm not reading it." I told them. Dad laughed and quickly snatched mine out my hand.

"You will find romance easily this year." He read, laughing. "Sounds like they are all pretty spot on, huh?"

I snatched my fortune back out of Dad's hand. "Yours sure isn't!" I joked. "May I be excused now, please."

Mom, who was still laughing at Dad, nodded. I pushed my chair up and ran up to my room. My cell phone was flashing, which meant I had a new text message. I opened it up and smiled when I saw that it was from Adam.

_call or text me when ur done dinner. maybe we can hang out :)_

I opened my phone and hit 3. (Yes, I already had him programmed into my speed dial... so what?). After a couple rings, he picked up.

"Hey." He said. I could hear the smile in his voice. "What are you up to?"

I laid back onto my bed. "I just finished having dinner." I replied. "What are you doing?"

"We just finished too." Adam answered. "We haven't had dessert yet... my mom told me to invite you over."

"To your house?"

"Nah, to the treehouse down the road." Adam answered laughing. "Yeah, to my house! She made peach pie."

Oh, I love peach pie!

"Is Vanessa there?" I asked.

"Yeah."

I was quiet for a minute. Adam started talking again.

"Look, Char..." He began. "If we're going to date, my sister is going to have to get over it. I already told you that she won't be harassing you anymore without having to deal with me. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable at my house, and neither does my mom. I told her what happened last night and she fucking tore right into Vanessa. She was pretty pissed off at her. My mom and I invited you. Vanessa has no say. She's not the little princess she likes to think she is. She can't dictate who gets invited to our house. I can't stand Haley, but I don't throw a fit when she comes over."

"Yeah, I know." I told him. "You're right, but I just don't want to make your mom or you mad at Vanessa... even if she does deserve it."

"I still think you should come over." Adam replied. "If it gets weird, or you get uncomfortable, just say the word and I'll take you home. But my mom really wants to see you. She misses you, and Becca, tons."

Dee Pike is one of the coolest moms I know. I loved going over there and sitting at the table with her, eating homemade cookies and having her ask about my day. It was like what my mom used to be like, before I got older.

I sighed. "Well..." I said hesitantly. "Okay."

"Really?"

"Yeah." I agreed. "As long as you protect me from the evil witch you call your sister."

Adam laughed. "Done." He promised. "Can I come pick you up right away?"

"Yeah, I'll be ready." I told him.

"Okay, I'll be there in about fifteen minutes or so." He told me. "See you in a bit."

"'Bye." I said, shutting the phone.

Oh dear Lord. What have I gotten myself into?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Adam is truly a gentleman. I was fully expecting him to just honk his horn when he got to my house, but instead, he came up and knocked on the door.

"Charlie!" Dad called up the stairs. "Adam's here!"

I glanced in the mirror and quickly fluffed my hair before going downstairs. Adam looked slightly uncomfortable standing in the kitchen with my parents, but he smiled at me when I came down the stairs.

"Hey." I said shyly. I still felt shy around him, but I have been shy my whole life, so it wasn't really a shock.

"Hey, Char." Adam answered with a smile. "Ready to go?"

"You bet." I answered. I grabbed my jacket off the back of one of the kitchen chairs. "Bye Mom, bye Dad." I said as I walked out the front door.

"Bye Mr. and Mrs. Johanssen." Adam said, following me out the door.

"Have fun." Mom called after us. As soon as the door was shut, Adam grabbed my hand and pulled me around the corner. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close.

"You smell really good." He murmured into my hair, before he pulled back and kissed me. "You taste really good too."

I laughed and kissed him back. "Ditto." I said between kisses.

"Well, you ready to face my horrible sister?" Adam asked, taking my hand and walking me towards his truck. I shrugged. Adam put his arm around my waist and pulled me closer. "It will be fine." He promised, opening the passenger door for me. I climbed in and buckled up as Adam climbed in his side. He glanced and me sitting on the passenger side and shook his head.

"This isn't right." He told me.

"What isn't?" I asked.

He indicated to the space between us. "This, you're too far away." He said. "I think you need to sit closer to me."

"Isn't that called riding bitch?" I asked, unbuckling my belt.

Adam laughed. "I don't know what it's called." He said with a grin. "I just want you closer to me."

I laughed as I slid over to the middle seat. Adam immediately rested his hand on my knee.

"This is better." He declared, giving my knee a squeeze. I bravely moved my hand to his knee as well.

"I'm starting to think you're not as shy as you let on, Miss Johanssen." Adam teased me. I felt myself starting to blush and Adam laughed.

"Okay, maybe you are." He joked, kissing my cheek before backing out of the driveway.

I felt myself getting more nervous as we approached Slate St. I saw Vanessa's car parked in the driveway, so I knew she was home. Adam sensed my nervousness and gave my knee a squeeze.

"Remember, it will be okay." He assured me again. "And I can take you home at any time, okay?"

I gave him a forced smile. "Okay." I said. "Let's go."

Adam led me up the familiar front steps and into the Pike's house. I could smell the fresh peach pie, and I could hear the hustle and bustle coming from the rest of the house. The Pike house is never quiet, with eight kids in the house.

Only seven of the kids still live at home. Mallory, who was best friends with Becca's older sister Jessi, moved to Cincinatti after she graduated high school. She is a year older than Adam and goes to school for free at Ohio State because she is also an assistant to a professer there. It's the perfect job for Mallory, and perfect situation for a family who needs to send eight kids to school.

Obviously, Adam, Byron and Jordan are next. I think I've said enough about Adam. Jordan is a bit of an arrogant guy. He definitely thinks he is king. I've never had a problem with him, but he is best friends with Jeff Schafer for a reason. Byron is a weird, pot head, emo kid. He paints his fingernails and everything. He wears all black, and always seems like he wants to kill someone. I don't like him. He scares me a bit.

Vanessa is next. She is a year younger than the triplets and a year older than I am. She used to be into writing and rhyming. She talked in rhyme all the time when she was about nine (and I think I just rhymed too!). When we were friends, she was a great friend, very caring and generous. I think she still has a big heart, though I haven't seen it much over the past year.

Nicky is next. He is my age. He is even a bigger dork than I am, if you can imagine. He is not very smart though, and is in the special class in school. He is a huge computer fan too. He's actually smart with those, I think he'll probably be a computer tech or something. But his spelling and grammar is another story!

Margo is next. She is a punk kid, but not as bad as Byron. She has multicoloured hair, but only blonde and black. She is a vegetarian and huge protector of the environment.

Claire is the baby. She is in 7th grade. I don't really know her much anymore, but I know she still acts like the 'baby' and isn't ready to grow up yet.

John and Dee Pike are the heads of the household. John is a lawyer in town, he has his own small firm, and Dee works for him part time. They are very liberal parents, they let the kids drink and smoke pot at home, they have virtually no rules, no curfew. Sometimes I wish my parents were a bit more laid back like the Pike's are.

"Charlotte!" Dee looked up from her tea and smiled at me. She stood up and gave me a big, warm hug. "It's so good to see you again, honey. I've missed you coming around."

"Me, too." I told her, hugging her back.

Adam handed his mom a bucket of ice cream. "Here you go, Ma." He told her. "It was on sale, too."

"Perfect." Dee replied, taking the ice cream from Adam. "Thanks hon."

"No problem." Adam said, taking my hand. "We're going to go hang out in the rec room until the pie is ready."

"Sure, I'll hollar when it's ready." Dee answered, sitting back down at the table. Adam led me though the kitchen and down the stairs to the rec room. Jordan, Margo and Claire were sitting around the TV, watching an episode of Don't Forget The Lyrics.

"Char!" Claire jumped up and gave me a hug. "I've missed you!"

I hugged her back. "I've missed you too." I told her.

"I didn't believe Adam when he said he was dating you." Claire continued. "I told him that you were too good for him!"

Adam burst out laughing and covered Claire's mouth with his hand. "Char, don't listen to her." He said with a grin. "Come sit."

I followed him around the couch and sat down on one end of it. Adam sat beside me and put his arm around me.

"Hey, Char, I'm sorry about Vanessa the other night." Jordan spoke up. "I gave her shit the whole ride home."

I laughed. "Thanks, but it's okay." I told him. "I'm just going to let her say what she wants and she can be the little one."

"Good for you." Adam said, squeezing my arm.

We sat on the couch for about half an hour, watching the show and watching Claire and Margo get up and sing and dance to nearly every song. During 'I Wanna Rock And Roll Every Night', Claire even got the guitar from Rock Band and pretended to strum along.

"I don't think those two ever stopped performing." I said with a laugh.

"Nah, it's pretty much Soul Train here." Adam agreed.

"Guys, come get the pie!" Dee called down the stairs. Claire and Margo raced for the stairs, and Jordan quickly followed them.

"Let's wait a minute." Adam murmured, pulling me closer and kissing me on my neck.

I laughed. "Adam, your house is hardly the house to make out at." I teased.

"I know, but they're all upstairs getting pie." Adam said as he continued to kiss me. Just as he finished speaking, Claire and Margo thundered back down the stairs.

"Oh, God guys." Margo said, rolling her eyes. "Get a room."

Adam stood up. "We thought we had one." He joked, helping me up. I followed him back up the stairs and into the kitchen. There, standing in front of the fridge, plate of pie in her hand, was Vanessa.

I felt Adam squeeze my hand as soon as we saw Vanessa. She saw me and glared. She picked up her glass of milk and took her dessert up the stairs, without a word to either Adam or I.

"Well, I guess that makes it easier." Adam lamely joked, handing me a plate with pie and a scoop of ice cream on it.

"I'm going to go talk to Vanessa." Dee said, standing up. "This is unacceptable. Just because you two had a falling out doesn't mean she needs to be rude to you for dating Adam."

Dee headed up the stairs, and I immediately felt guilty.

"What's that look for?" Adam asked me gently, touching my hand.

"I feel like I'm just causing trouble." I mumbled, mashing my ice cream with my fork.

"Why?"

I sighed. "Your mom is up there yelling at Vanessa, she doesn't even want to eat in her own kitchen cause I'm here!"

"That's Vanessa's problem, not yours." Adam told me. "You are more than welcome in this house! My parents, my brothers, my other sisters, they all love you and want you to be around!

"Do you know what they all said when I told them that I was dating you?" Adam asked me. I shrugged and looked at him.

"They were all so excited that you would be hanging around the house more." He said. "My mom, Claire, Margo... they've all missed you over this year. You were a big part of our family up until the last year, and I want you to be a big part of our family now. I want you to be comfortable here, and I want you to spend time here, with me."

I still didn't say anything. Adam reached over and took my fork away.

"You're totally destroying your pie, babe." He said with a small laugh. I folded my hands on the table and looked at them.

"Char..." Adam began. "I need you to... My family is really important to me, and I know Vanessa is being a cow right now. But I really want you to feel comfortable here, because I'm here."

"Adam, I _am _here!" I said, hearing my voice start to shake. "I came here, and she still was a cold bitch to me! How many times am I going to have to get treated like that?"

"I wish you could just ignore her." Adam said softly, as someone came down the stairs. I turned, thinking it was Dee, but it wasn't. It was Vanessa.

Before she could say anything, Adam motioned to an ampty chair. "Vanessa, sit down."

Vanessa glared at me. "I'd rather not." She sneered.

"Sit down!" Adam shouted. Vanessa's eyes widened. Adam is not the yelling type. Jordan, yes, but Adam never yells. Vanessa slinked into an empty chair and stared at the table.

"Okay, first of all, Ness, you're my sister." Adam began. "I care about you a lot, and nothing is thicker than blood. But-" he continued, "I really care about Charlotte too. It's pretty shitty to have two people who are so important to me have so much hate and animosity towards each other.

"Vanessa, I know that it must be hard for you to see me with Char." Adam continued. "But it's not your choice. It's mine, and only mine. You need to figure out a way to deal with it.

"And Char." Adam turned to me. "I've liked you for a long time. Like, a _long _time. I liked you before this stupid little tiff with my sister-"

"It's not stupid!" Vanessa interrupted.

Adam glared at her and continued. "But my family is so important to me, and I need you to feel comfortable here."

Vanessa and I were quiet, taking in what Adam had said to us. Then he stood up.

"So you two need to figure this out together." He said, walking out of the room.

My jaw was dropped. I couldn't believe Adam did that. He must feel pretty strongly about Vanessa and I getting along. I guess she wouldn't be able to kill me inside her house. Too many witnesses. That fact didn't make me feel any better, though.

I took a deep breath and looked at Vanessa. She felt me looking at her, and looked up at me with a normal, Vanessa face... not the snotty, rude Vanessa I see at school.

"Do you actually like my brother?" was the first thing Vanessa said to me. "Or do you just want to be in a relationship?"

"Vanessa, you've known me forever." I told her. "You know that I'm not like that. I wouldn't be over here, at your parents house, dealing with you, if I didn't really care about Adam and have feelings for him."

Vanessa rolled her eyes. "I don't think I believe you." She told me.

I threw my hands in the air, exasperated. "Why the hell not?" I demanded. "When have I ever lied to you? You are the one who completely shattered this friendship, not me, so do _not _make me out to be the bad guy!"

"I did not shatter this friendship!" Vanessa exclaimed. "You and Becca ditched me and Haley because you didn't like our new friends!"

"You picked those so-called friends over us!" I cried. "Me and Becca didn't like them, yes, but you and Haley chose to be friends with them and not us!"

"You could have at least tried to be friends with them." Vanessa shot back. "If our friendship meant anything to you, you would have at least tried."

"If our friendship meant anything to you, you wouldn't have picked those sluts over us!"

"This is fucking bullshit." Vanessa leaned back in her seat and angerly crossed her arms. "I can't believe I am sitting in my own house, being yelled at and accused by some loser who thinks she's got a future with my brother!"

I turned my back to Vanessa and pulled my knees up to my chest. I could feel the tears coming on, and I did not want to cry in front of her.

"Why do you even care so much?" Vanessa asked. "Why do you even care if I don't like you? You are the one making this awkward for yourself, not me."

I whirled back around. "Vanessa, you were my best friend!" I exclaimed. "We had so many plans for our life! We were going to be best friends all though high school, go to the same college, marry brothers and raise our families next door to each other!"

The tears were starting to pour out, but I kept talking. "Even though some of those plans seem crazy, we still always planned on being friends forever. And then, you got the urge to be popular, and I wasn't good enough to be your friend anymore. Do you know how much that hurt? Do you know how horrible I felt, knowing that my _best friend _thought so little of me that she didn't want to even be around me anymore?

"And not just that you didn't want to hang out anymore." I continued, crying. "You _torment _me at school! You make my life friggin hell! Friends sometimes do grow apart, but then they just let it go. I did nothing to you, nothing at all, and you feel the need to harass me every single day. Why? So you look cool around Kerry and Tiffany? Who the fuck cares what Kerry and Tiffany think?"

"I fucking care what they think!" Vanessa shouted. "You know what it it was like growing up, you know! I had to wear shit clothes that used to be Mal's, I wore glasses and braces, and I fucking talked in rhyme! I got teased so much in school. When the cool girls actually wanted to be friends with me, I fucking jumped on that chance to be popular! I couldn't handle going though school being bullied anymore."

"If you know what it feels like to be bullied so much, why do you insist on bullying me?" I asked her.

Vanessa shrugged. "I honestly didn't think it bothered you so much." Vanessa admitted.

"How could it not?" I asked. "How would you feel if I called you a loser every time I saw you? Or threw spitballs at you? Or tripped you in PE and got you covered in mud?"

"I honestly didn't think it bugged you that much." Vanessa admitted. "You always seem happy and cheerful. I didn't think I bugged you."

"Well, you do!" I exclaimed. "How can it not bug someone? Especially when the person calling them that used to be their best friend?"

Vanessa sighed and brushed her hair out of her face. "Look, Charlotte." She said. "It's not my fault if you can't handle a little teasing. I'm not going to sit here and try to build up your confidence, because we all know that is a friggin project and a half. If you can't handle it, maybe you just should leave, and not come back. My brother does not deserve a whiny and pathetic girl like you. He deserves someone fun and cool and actually confident. He can't be expected to constantly be bringing you up. You're such a fucking loser, and you don't even know it!"

I couldn't believe she said that to me. I was so seething mad, so upset. I had so many emotions running though my body at that moment, I didn't know how to react. So I pushed my chair back and stood up.

"Fuck you, Vanessa." I snapped, before slamming the door behind me.

I felt really terrible about just walking out of Adam's house without even saying goodbye. I almost wanted to turn back around, but now that I left, I didn't want to go back. I couldn't believe Vanessa. I had tried, I really did. I thought that she was opening up, when she made the comments about having to wear Mallory's old clothes as a kid. But then she completely 180-ed and turned back into the bitch that she has become.

I walked though the gate at the back of the elementary school. As I came closer to the swings, I remembered how Becca, Vanessa, Haley and I would have competitions... Who could swing the highest, the fastest, the longest, who could jump the farthest, anything we could think of. We would spend hours on the swings. We would purposly leave for school early, just so we could swing before school started.

I sat down on one of the swings and started to cry. Life had gotten so hard over the last couple years. It used to be the four of us, just having fun, and doing whatever we wanted. Nothing else mattered but playing and having fun. Then we started getting older. Boys came into the picture, along with clothing styles and 'cool' music. We couldn't just be ourselves anymore, because someone was always there to judge us. We always said that we didn't care what anyone thought of us. As long as we were friends, that was all that mattered. But slowly and surely, Vanessa and Haley started to outgrow the swinging competitions and started to grow into liking boys and spending all their free time at the mall. We grew apart, which wouldn't have been the end of the world if we still could talk and get along. We can't even do that anymore. At that moment, sitting on the swings with the cold, autumn wind blowing on my face, I had never felt more alone.

I had been sitting on the swings for about ten minutes, just crying and thinking, when I spotted someone walking towards me out of the corner of my eye. It was Adam. I stopped swinging and watched him walk towards me. I couldn't tell if he was mad at me for storming out of his house like that. I hoped he wasn't.

"Hey." He said, walking closer towards me.

"Hey." I answered back, rubbing my eyes with my jacket sleeve.

Adam sat down on the swing beside me. He reached over and grabbed onto my link and pulled me towards him.

"You okay?"

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Adam." I blurted out. "I'm sorry, I tried really, really hard! I was doing everything I could! I tried so hard to-"

"I know." He cut me off. "I was listening to everything you guys were saying."

I covered my face with my hands. "I don't know what to do!" I moaned. "I know your family is so important to you, I get that. But Adam... I can't go though this!"

"My parents are talking to Vanessa." Adam said. "When I left, they were talking about grounding her for a month, and then taking away her car for another month."

"Are you mad that I left?" I asked.

"I'm surprised you stayed at the table with her for that long." Adam told me. "She was being a bitch to you, big time."

I was quiet for a minute. "Can I ask you a question?" I asked.

"Of course."

"When you said you liked me for a long time..." I began. "How long is a long time?"

Adam blushed. "Um... since I was eleven." He admitted.

"Six years!" I yelped. "Why didn't you ever say anything before?"

Adam laughed. "Well, when I was eleven, you were nine... so that's not exactly prime dating ages." He said. "And then, you know, you and Vanessa were such good friends and I didn't want to make things weird for anyone that way. So I just let it go.

"But I've been noticing you at school a lot, since this year started." Adam continued. "And after my bitch of a sister threw her drink at you, I figured, hey, I'll offer her my sweater and it will be smooth sailing from here on out."

"Or so you thought." I said with a laugh. "I'm glad you asked me out. I wouldn't have been able to ask you out."

"I'm glad I did too." Adam answered, leaning towards me. "Your lips are cold." He said after kissing me. "I should take you home."

"Okay." I agreed, standing up. Adam took my hand and walked me back towards his truck. As we walked past the monkey bars, I remembered an April Fool's Day where me and Haley covered the bars in Vaseline, and Vanessa slipped and fell on her ass, completely humiliated. A small smile creeped onto my face. I realized that I wasn't going to get mad at Vanessa. I was going to get even.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Monday mornings always come around too quickly. I realized that this had been a pretty crazy weekend. I went from not even having a potential boyfriend to ending up with a pretty cool guy. Unfortunately, his sister is a wack job who hates me, but hey, who hasn't had to deal with that before?

I rolled out of bed and stumbled to the shower. After standing under the hot water for fifteen minutes, I felt slightly more awake. After I dried off, I went back into my room to pick out my first-day-at-school-as-Adam-Pike's-girlfriend outfit. Today was an important day. It was like a debutante ball, introducing myself to the school as dating Adam for the first time. I picked out a pair of dark denim bootcut jeans, a pair of Mary-Jane type heels and pink and white empire waisted long tshirt. After I dried my hair and did my makeup, I went downstairs to have some breakfast.

I had a game plan in mind now. I wasn't going to let Vanessa treat me like crap. I had some lines in mind to use in case she started up on me. I decided that I wasn't going to risk missing out on something potentially good with Adam just cause Vanessa wanted to act like a spoiled brat. It was time for Charlotte Johanssen to grow up, get some confidence and stand up for herself.

"Hello!" Becca. She was meeting me at my house before Adam came to pick both of us up for school.

"Hi friend." I greeted her, setting my bowl in the sink.

"Ready to face the world?" Becca joked, grabbing a granola bar out of the cupboard. "You look really cute today, too!"

"Thanks, I was hoping to!" I said, ducking into the bathroom off the kitchen to brush my teeth.

"You nervous for today?" Becca asked, leaning against the door.

I spit into the sink. "Yes." I admitted. "But I'm not going to let Vanessa ruin this for me. I like Adam, and he likes me, and that's all that really matters."

"Exactly." Becca said as I gulped down a cup of water. "She's just a bitch who doesn't matter, so what she says doesn't matter either!"

I dried my hands as I heard a vehicle pull into the driveway. "I think Adam's here." I told Becca.

"Yeah, it's him." She said, peering out the window. I grabbed my jacket and backpack and followed Becca out the front door. Adam was just getting out of the truck to come and get us. He grinned when he saw us walking across the yard.

"You girls are fast." He said, wrapping me in a hug. "How are you?" He asked, kissing me.

"Mmm... I'm good, now." I teased after we broke apart.

Becca rolled her eyes. "You guys are disgusting." She said with mock distaste, as she climbed into the passenger seat. I laughed and climbed into the middle seat though the drivers door, and Adam climbed in after me.

"You look super hot today, too." Adam murmured, kissing my cheek. I blushed and squeezed his knee.

"Seriously, you guys are gross!" Becca laughed. "Honeymoon stage or what?"

Adam laughed. "I can't help it if she looks hot!" He answered. "I'm just doing what's natural, that's all."

We parked in the student parking lot at SHS and climbed out. Adam immediately took my hand, and as soon as he did that, I noticed several students looking at us. It's a small school, and everyone knows who Adam is, and everyone knows that Vanessa and I used to be friends. Everyone also knows that they didn't see Adam and I hanging out at school before we started dating. Most couples, you can tell when they will start dating, cause they spend all their lunch hours and breaks together. Adam and I didn't, so it worried me that people might think we moved too fast. But part of the new Charlotte Johanssen is not caring what other people think of me.

"Don't worry." Adam whispered into my ear as we walked into the front doors. It's like he can read my mind already.

I smiled up at him. "I'm fine, it will all be okay." I assured him. We walked up the stairs and ended up in the 'senior's hallway'. It is what it sounds like, it's where the senior class, and their friends, hang out. Most of them were already hanging out on the benches- Jeff Schafer, Jordan Pike, Corrie and her brother Sean, Shea Rodowski, and the Sluts. Becca gave me a look as we joined them. I noticed Tiffany and Kerry giving each other a look as well.

"Hey guys." Jordan greeted us.

"Welcome to our humble home, girls." Shea added with a grin. "I guess you guys had a good weekend, huh?"

Adam grinned at me. "Yeah, it was pretty decent." He joked, squeezing my hand.

"This is definitely an... interesting match." Kerry remarked, indicating at Adam and I. "You must of had a lot to drink at the party, Adam!"

"Why would I need to be drunk to end up with a gorgeous girl like Char?" Adam asked.

"Well, you just sort of... run in different circles, that's all." Kerry said, fake sweetness dripping off her words.

"Well, now we run in the same circle, don't we Kerry?" I said, the same phony sweetness dripping off my words. I heard Becca snicker beside me.

"I think it's awesome." Shea declared. "I like Adam, I like Charlotte... I even like you, Becca." He added teasingly.

"Plus, you guys would end up with some pretty good looking kids, if I do say so myself." Jordan said with a grin.

"Not as cute as ours though, right, honey?" Tiffany cooed, cuddling up to Jordan.

"Shoot me if I am ever that disgusting." I hissed to Becca. She laughed loudly and Tiffany glared at her.

"Good morning every-" a voice started behind me. I turned around, and saw Vanessa and Haley. I almost turned back around, but then I remembered the NCJ (New Charlotte Johanssen) and smiled at them.

"Morning, girls." I said pleasantly. They exchanged a dumbfounded look, and then walked past me to the other side of the group.

"Thank you." Adam whispered into my ear. I smiled at him. It might work out after all.

"Did you guys hear about the Rihanna concert coming to New York?" Haley asked everyone. "In January. I sooo want to go!"

"Oh, I love her!" Becca exclaimed.

"Me, too!" Haley agreed. Then, suddenly, both girls realized who they were talking to and stopped smiling. Becca cleared her throat and changed the subject.

"I have class upstairs, I better start heading up there." She said. "See you at break, Char."

"What about me?" Adam said with a fake pout.

"And me?" Shea added.

Becca laughed. "Okay, I guess I'll see you guys too." She said with a grin. "See you later."

"You have class down here?" Adam asked me. I nodded. "Me, too. Want me to walk you?"

I smiled. "You bet."

"Okay, guys, we'll see you later." Adam told everyone as we walked down the hallway. We stopped outside of 102, math, and Adam kissed me goodbye.

"See you at break." He told me, kissing me again.

"Come on, guys." a voice came from behind us and tapped Adam on the shoulder. "PDA is so Naley."

Adam looked dumbfounded. "Huh?"

Mr. Ross laughed. "If you stick around this girl, you'll have it figured out in no time." He said teasingly. "Seriously though, you know the rules."

"Okay, okay." Adam sighed. He squeezed my hand instead and gave me a wink. "See you soon."

"Bye." I said with a smile, then ducked into my classroom.

I really don't like math. I'm not horrible at it, but it's not one of my better subjects. My mother says I'm just like my dad, and only like numbers if there is a dollar sign in front of them! That's why I don't mind our accounting unit I guess!

Most Monday morning classes drag on, but today's class was especially long. I zoned out a few times during Mr. Ross's extra-long explaination on Pythagoras' Theorem. I hadn't had time to use the washroom before coming to class, and Mr. Ross is a huge stickler about leaving the room during class, so I had to wait... and wait... and wait. Finally, the bell rang, signaling the end of first period, so I quickly gathered up my books and rushed out of the classroom. I ducked into the bathroom on my way to my next class. After locking myself in a stall, I heard footsteps coming in.

"I really don't know why you're freaking out about this so much." It was Haley. I held my breath and listened intenetly to her.

"Because he's my brother, and she's... her!" The other voice, Vanessa, spewed. "I don't like her, she's no good for him!"

"Why not?" Haley asked. "I mean, really Ness... She's a pretty good girl. And she sure has gotten gorgeous over the last year."

"I cannot believe you're standing up for her!" Vanessa exclaimed. "You're supposed to be my friend!"

"Yeah, and we were supposed to be her friends too." Haley stated. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of hanging out with Kerry and Tiffany. The novelty has definitely worn off, and I miss the simple life. Plus, my parents won't even let them come to my house! I miss having friends I can actually invite over!"

"Well, why don't you just go and invite Charlotte over then." Vanessa snapped.

"Maybe I will!" Haley shot back. I heard the door open and shut.

"Bitch." I heard Haley mutter. Then I heard her walk out the door and knew that I was safe. I quickly washed my hands and hurried out of the bathroom.

I couldn't believe what I just heard. Haley is sick of the Sluts? She doesn't want to be friends with them anymore? I was in shock. I wished I had time to find Becca and talk to her before class, but I still had to run up to my locker and change books before my next class.

I hurried upstairs, grabbed my books from my locker, and continued up to the third floor to my AP English class. It's an 11th grade class, but English is my strongest subject, so last year, I did two years worth. I plan on having my senior year filled with fun, easy, GPA-boosting classes, so I have to work hard right now.

I walked into the class and settled into my desk, pulling my notebook out of my backpack. I was thumbing though last week's notes when someone sat down beside me.

"Hi, Charlotte."

I turned and looked and was surprised to see Haley Braddock sitting beside me. "What are you doing here?" I asked, then blushed and said. "I mean, hi."

Haley pulled a binder out of her backpack. "Mrs. Hartley thought it would be a good idea if I took this class now, instead of next year. Just in case." She added with a roll of her eyes. "I had to give up art for it, so I'd better pass."

I wanted to ask Haley about what she said in the bathroom, but I had to get her to warm up to me first. I didn't think she would just tell me what she meant by what she said without me being nice first.

I pulled out a handful of papers. "Here." I said, handing them to Haley. "These are the first couple weeks worth of notes. You can take them home and copy them out if you want to."

Haley looked surprised. "Wow, thanks Char!" She said gratefully. "That's really cool of you!"

I shrugged. "No worries." I answered. "Let me know if you need any help with anything."

Haley smiled at me and put the notes in her binder.

I cleared my throat. "Um, Haley?"

"Yeah?"

"I heard what you said in the bathoom."

Haley shot a glance at me. "You did?"

I nodded. "Yeah." I admitted. "I was in one of the stalls."

Haley opened her mouth to answer, but Ms. Ringness suddenly entered the room and demanded us all to turn to page 68 of our text. Haley held up a finger, ripped a piece of paper out of her binder and started writing.

I tried to concentrate on what Ms. Ringness was saying, but I kept peeking over at what Haley was writing to me. Finally, she folded her piece of paper in half and tossed it onto my desk. I glanced up to make sure Ms. Ringness wasn't watching, then unfolded the paper and read:

Char:

I meant what I said in the bathroom. I am sick of Kerry and Tiff, and how everything always has to be about them. I miss hanging out with you and Becca, back when everything was easy. I know I have been a lousy friend over the past year, but I know we had some amazing times growing up. I know you probably don't want to forgive me, but I would really like the chance to reconcile with you and Becca and start over. I don't think Vanessa is being fair to you. I know the only reason she is acting like this is because Kerry and Tiffany put the idea in her head that it was a bad idea for you and Adam to date. I don't think she knows how to think for herself anymore.

Let me know if you want to meet for coffee after school. I have missed you!

Haley

I grinned at Haley and she smiled back, looking relieved. I tore out my own paper and started to write back to her.

Haley:

I would love to get together after school and just talk. It might take me a bit to fully trust you again, but I am willing to give it a shot.

I'm glad you're finally seeing though Kerry and Tiffany... It's about time! They are not good people, and you are a good person.

Don't tell Vanessa we are meeting... she already hates me, this will definitely set her over the edge!!

Let's meet at the Rosebud after school.

Char

Haley read the letter near the end of class, right before the bell rang. As it rang and we all stood up, putting backpacks on, she turned to me.

"I'll probably see you at lunch, but if not, I'll see you right after school." She promised.

I nodded. "Sounds like a plan." I said with a smile, hoisting my bag onto my shoulders and walking out the door. Adam was waiting for me right outside, to my surprise.

"How did you get here so fast?" I asked, giving him a kiss.

"Free period." He answered, kissing me back and taking my hand. Haley walked out of the classroom just as Adam and I were about to walk away, and she waved.

"Thanks again for the notes, Char." She said. "Hi Adam."

"Hey." Adam answered with a bewildered look on his face. As she walked dow the opposite end of the hallway, Adam looked at me.

"Since when do you have a class with her?" He asked me. "And since when do you loan her your notes? And since when do you even talk to her?"

"Since today, I guess." I answered. "I overheard her and your sister talking in the bathroom. Basically, Haley is on our side and doesn't like how Vanessa is acting. And she said she misses hanging out with me and Beck, so... we are meeting after school to hang out."

Adam glanced at me. "Really?"

I could tell he didn't think it was a good idea. "Yeah." I answered. "Shouldn't I?"

He shrugged. "Well, I mean, it's up to you." He replied. "Just be careful... I don't want you to get hurt by her."

"Adam, she said the stuff without even knowing I was in the bathroom." I told him.

"Maybe they saw you walk in." He suggested. "Or maybe not!" He quickly added after seeing my face. "Maybe it's all completely innocent. Maybe Haley is actually growing up. Just take baby steps, okay?"

"I promise." I answered, mildly amused at his concern, though I appreciated him looking out for me.

He walked me to my next class, the dreaded biology and promised to meet me downstairs in the seniors hallway at lunch. I settled into my lab desk, but was distracted, thinking about my coffee date with Haley after school. I really hoped she wouldn't bail, and I really hoped that it wasn't some kind of trick put on by her and Vanessa. I knew that it would take a bit for me to trust Haley completely, but I had to try to trust her on this.

Finally, Mr. Kent was finished talking about cell development and it was lunch time. The biology lab was right beside my locker, so I quickly shoved my books inside, grabbed my purse and headed downstairs. I was still a little nervous about being in that hallway, especially since I am just a sophomore, so I slowed my paces down.

"What's up, kid?" a voice behind me asked, yanking on my hair. I turned around and smiled at Shea Rodowsky.

"Oh, you know." I answered with a grin. "Livin' the dream!"

Shea laughed. "Yeah, aren't we all?" He replied. "You coming down here for lunch?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm making my way that way." I told him. "Honestly, I was a little nervous to go there alone."

Shea draped his arm across my shoulders. "Well, you got me now." He declared, walking down the hall with me. Adam was already sitting at one of the tables, and he laughed when he saw Shea with me.

"Jeez, man, you have to have everything that's mine, don't you?" He joked. Shea laughed and I sat down at the table beside Adam.

"I guess she just doesn't know what she's missing." Shea joked back. Then he put on a fake pout. "No one knows what they are missing."

"Who's missing what?" It was Becca, sliding into the seat across from me.

Adam pointed at Shea. "Girls are missing out on him, apparently." He teased. "Although... Becca's a single girl... Shea's a single guy... See where I am going with this?"

Shea sighed dramatically as he sat next to Becca. "We'll probably have sex once or twice a week, just to humour you guys, but don't start naming our babies yet, okay?"

Becca laughed loudly, as she generally does when she is embarrassed and took a drink of her juice.

"So did Char tell you her exciting plans for after school?" Adam asked Becca. I slapped his leg under the table.

Becca looked at me. "What plans?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing too exciting." I lied. "Just have a test in bio next week that I need to study for."

Becca raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, right." She said, giving me the 'we'll talk later' look. "I'm going to go grab some chips." She said, standing up. "Be back in a minute."

I groaned as she walked away. "Adam!" I hissed. "I wasn't going to talk to Becca about it until after!"

"Sorry, hon." He said apologetically, rubbing my knee. "I just assumed you told her."

"Told her what?" Shea asked, his mouth full of baby carrots.

"I'm meeting Haley for coffee after school." I told him. "Don't say anything to Becca though, please."

"I won't." Shea answered. "But that's cool, you guys hanging out again. Maybe the drama can finally be over."

"We'll see what happens." I replied, as Becca sat back down, opening a bag of chips. She offered me one, and I shook my head, but Shea reached in and grabbed a handful.

"Hey, Shea, want some chips?" Becca teased.

"Don't mind if I do!" Shea joked back, grabbing another one out of the bag.

"I swear, I am going to drop out of school!" It was Corrie, tossing her backpack under the table and falling into the seat beside Becca. "I'm so done with this crap!"

Carolyn sat down beside her. "Maybe if you actually paid attention in chem, you wouldn't feel so dumb every day."

Corrie glared at her. "Mr. Tates is just out to get me." She said, pulling a sandwich out of her lunch bag. "He hates me because he my brother made his life hell last year."

"Glad I don't have the sibling problem!" I said with a laugh.

"If you ever want a brother, you just let me know!" Corrie said with a sigh. Her brother, Sean, is a senior, and the teachers will probably throw a party the day he graduates. He is a nice enough guy but he likes to push people's buttons, especially teachers. He cares more about playing football than anything else, and since he is pretty much the star player, he can get away with a lot.

"If you want a brother or a sister, I got plenty to spare!" Adam added.

I laughed. "Um, I think I'll stick with being the only one." I answered.

"Yeah, none of our siblings are really desirable!" Corrie joked.

"Hey fuckers and fuckettes." Jeff greeted us, sitting down beside me. "How's it hanging?"

"Wouldn't _you _love to know." Adam answered dryly.

Jeff snatched a chip out of Becca's bag. "I'll just ask Char if I really want to know." He joked.

I blushed. Adam and I have only kissed, and we would only be kissing for a long time. I didn't know how experienced he was, but I knew he had dated Danielle Roberts last year, and I assumed they slept together. I wasn't ready to ask him though. I was scared he might have slept with more than just Danielle, and I didn't want to be embarrassed when and if we slept together.

Jeff poked my side. "Look at that tomato face!" He said, laughing. "Obviously, sex is not the topic to talk about around this little girl."

"Jeff, shut up." Adam told him, sounding annoyed. I sometimes wonder why Adam is still friends with Jeff. They are so different. Jeff is a drunk, annoying slut, basically. He is spoiled rotten by his father, who lives in California and feels bad about not being in Jeff's life. He moved back there for awhile when he was about ten, but came back for high school. His mother was so excited to have him back, especially since his sister also moved back to California, and his step-sister moved to Chicago for college. Sharon was so happy that Jeff was back, that she lets him get away with murder. His step-dad is a complete wimp, and doesn't stand up to Jeff or Sharon, so Jeff pretty much runs that house.

"Jeez, Pike, does she have your balls in her purse already?" Jeff scoffed, standing up. "I'm going for a beer run so I don't have to waste time after class. Anyone want to come?"

"I will." Becca said, standing up and gathering up her lunch.

"Becca!" I hissed, shocked. Why did she want to go on an illegal beer run with Jeff "Holier-Than-Thou" Schafer?

"Alright, Obama, let's go." Jeff said, draping his arm across her shoulders and leading her out the door.

"Did he just call her _Obama_?" Corrie asked incredulously. "Jeez, I would have slapped him!"

"Why would she want to go with him?" I wondered out loud. "I wonder if she's mad at me for not telling her what was up later."

"Sorry, hon." Adam apologized again.

"No, it's not your fault." I told him. "She's just being weird."

"Damn, and here I thought she was into me." Shea said, half joking.

I was really hoping that Becca wouldn't become close with Jeff. Becca is boy-crazy, and any boy who shows an interest in her, she is all over, even if it's so obviously a bad idea. She always dismisses the nice guys, like Shea, and goes for the not so nice ones, like Jeff.

I worried about Becca and Jeff for the rest of lunch and all though my next class. It was after history that I realized that I would be meeting up with Haley in a few short hours. After that thought entered my head, I was worried about that _and _Becca. I had a hard time concentrating in every one of my classes that day, and hoped that this wasn't going to be a regular thing.

Finally, the three o'clock bell rang, signaling the end of the day. I gathered up my geography books and headed to my locker, where Adam was going to meet me before I left for the Rosebud to meet Haley.

I twirled the combination and pulled my locker open. I rearranged my nightly homework into my backpack and stood back up to see Adam standing in front of me.

I smiled. "Hey, you." I said, standing on my tip-toes to kiss him.

"All ready for your big coffee date?" He asked me.

"I'm nervous." I admitted. "I have been thinking about it all afternoon."

"Don't be nervous." He assured me. "It will all be good."

I poked him in the side. "Weren't you the one who told me to be cautious?"

"Yeah, but who listens to me?" He joked.

"I do." I said, kissing him again. "I kind of wish I didn't have to go, because I'd rather hang out with you."

"Good." He said. "I'd rather you hang out with me too! But I guess I can't control you yet."

"No, too early for that." I teased, as I spotted a platinum blonde girl walking down the hall. "Here she comes."

"Miss America?" Adam said excitedly, turning around. "Oh." He said with mock disappointment. "It's just Haley."

"Thanks, jerk." Haley said with a laugh. "Hi Char. I thought I'd see if you were still up here, if you wanted to walk together?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." I answered, smiling. "I'll call you when I get home." I said to Adam.

"Have fun." He said, bending down to kiss me. "See ya later, Haley."

"Bye, Adam." Haley answered as he walked down the hall. I picked up my backpack and hoisted it on my shoulders.

"Ready?" Haley asked me.

"You bet." I answered with a nod, although I wasn't sure how ready I really was.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Haley and I walked out of the school together in silence, not really sure what to say to one another. We walked towards downtown, the opposite direction of everyone else, which was a good thing. No one would see us together and question it. Except, of course, the fluffy haired bitch who drove the little red Hyundai SCoupe, which just so happened to be parked in the Rosebud parking lot.

Haley's face paled. I knew she didn't want to stand up to Vanessa. I didn't really want to see her either, but I figured it would be easier for me to see her than for Haley to see her while with me.

I handed Haley my backpack. "Here." I said. "This is heavy. You wait out here with it. I'll go get our coffee, and we'll go somewhere else."

Haley looked relieved. "Thanks, Char!" She said gratefully. "I feel sneaky, but... I don't want to deal with her."

"Yeah. Me either." I said, walking into the small cafe.

I didn't see Vanessa right away when I walked in, so I breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe I breathed that sigh a little too soon, though.

"Oh, look, it's my favourite sister in law!" I turned around and saw Vanessa coming from the bathroom. "You actually removed yourself from my brothers hip? I'm impressed."

"Hi, Vanessa." I said cooly, drumming my fingernails on the counter, waiting to be served.

"Don't try to act all friendly with-"

"What can I get you?" Gretchen Major, the owner of the Rosebud, asked me from behind the counter.

"Two large mocha's, to go, please." I answered.

"My brother doesn't like mocha's." Vanessa snapped.

"Who says its for him?" I asked, handing Gretchen a five dollar bill.

Vanessa leaned on the counter. "You're such a loser!" She sighed.

"Vanessa, if you're going to talk like that, you can just leave." Gretchen told her, handing me the coffee's. "You know I don't allow bullying in here."

"Thanks." I said, turning and walking towards the door.

"Fine, then." Vanessa said haughtily, rolling her eyes.

I walked out the door and around the side of the restaurant. Haley was leaning against the building, our backpacks at her feet.

"Here you go." I said, handing her a coffee.

"Well, well." We both turned around. "This parking lot is just full of wonderful surprises, isn't it?"

I groaned. Haley said weakly. "Hi, Vanessa."

"Don't fucking say hi to me like everything is all awesome, while you're hiding out here so I don't see you hanging out with this loser!" Vanessa exclaimed. "Give your head a shake and come inside with me!"

Vanessa grabbed Haley's arm and tried to pull her inside. "Let go of me!" Haley shrieked, wiggling away. "I have plans with Charlotte."

Vanessa dropped Haley's arm. "So you'd rather hang out with her than with me?" She asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I would!" Haley shot back. "At least she is not a controlling, Stepfordish bitch!"

Vanessa's eyes widened. "Fuck you, then." She snapped. "Have fun becoming a loser. You might want to watch your back, too. Kerry and Tiff aren't going to like this."

"Is that a threat?"

Vanessa shrugged. "Take it how you want to." She said simply.

"Kerry and Tiffany can kiss my ass!" Haley exclaimed. Turning to me, she said. "Let's go, Char."

I picked up my backpack and followed Haley towards the sidewalk, leaving Vanessa standing in the middle of the parking lot, stunned.

"Well, that was interesting." Haley remarked as we were out of earshot.

I shrugged. "Seemed pretty typical of Vanessa to me." I answered. "Why did she end up like that anyway?"

Haley sighed. "I mean, at first, you know, it was all for attention, to feel wanted. Obviously in her household, you have to be a complete fuck up like Byron or a friggin angel like Mallory to get any attention."

"Or be the baby like Claire." I mused.

Haley nodded. "Exactly." She said. "Vanessa basically went on this kick where she wanted attention and she wasn't loved at home and her parents wouldn't care who she hung out with... blah, blah, blah."

"Yeah, I remember that." I answered. "I remember her ranting and raving, saying she could be best friends with Saddam Hussain and her parents wouldn't care."

"Yeah." Haley replied. "Which, to begin with, was so ridiculous. She was just being a brat. I think her parents gave her plenty of attention, but with Mallory going to college and Byron getting into drugs and being arrested, it's normal that more of John and Dee's energy would be focused on those kids."

"What happened with Kerry and Tiffany?" I asked. "I mean, why did they end up as such shit disturbers?"

"Tiffany was always kind of like that, I guess." Haley answered. "That whole middle child syndrome. Shannon and Maria were such good students, well, Maria still is, and they had all their extracurricular activities. Tiffany didn't do any of that, and needed to do something to draw attention to herself. And I guess when she decided to come to SHS rather than Stoneybrook Day, she felt she really had to put on an act to impress people."

"Her and Kerry knew each other before high school, right?"

Haley nodded. "Yeah, Logan and Shannon were friends, so they sort of knew each other. I think Shannon introduced Tiffany to Kerry before school started. Kerry was impressed by Tiff, she told me once before, and wanted so desperately to be her friend. She thought she was gorgeous, popular, and would be a great friend. Which she is not." Haley added that last part, sounding a little bitter. "The first time they came over to my house... Tiffany made fun of my brother."

"What?!" Haley's brother, Matt, is deaf. He is an awesome kid but sometimes, he makes weird noises. It's just because he doesn't know what the sounds actually sound like. Haley is terribly protective of Matt.

"I'm surprised you were still friends with her after." I continued as we sat down.

Haley pulled her backpack off and sighed. "Biggest mistake of my life." She admitted. "I should have known then that she wouldn't change. I should have ran from those two. Instead, I stayed, and totally alientated you and Becca." She set down her coffee and looked at me. "Char, I don't know how I can say I'm sorry." She told me. "I made a big, big mistake. I was just wanting to fit in and be cool. But, as it turns out, the longer I am friends with Tiffany, the more people don't like me. She's a bad, bad seed."

"I know." I answered. "That's why I never wanted to hang out with her. I could tell she was a bitch, right from the start. I didn't want to be in one of those totem pole group of friends. I wanted everyone to be friends, everyone to be equal."

"Like we all used to be." Haley said wistfully.

I nodded silently. "But Haley." I began. "Are you really willing to risk the wrath of Vanessa and them, just to reconcile with Becca and I?"

"I think they are all talk." Haley replied, sounding slightly uncertain. "Besides, with Jordan dating Tiffany and you dating Adam, and Tiffany being a bitch and Adam and Jordan being brothers... I don't think he will let her get away with being a cow for too much longer."

"I don't know about that." I admitted. "Jordan seems like a bit of a pushover when it comes to Tiffany. Which is weird, because normally he's all man-power, women are beneath me, yadda yadda."

"Tiffany probably does freaky shit in bed." Haley pondered, then laughed as her cell phone started chiming. She pulled it out of her purse and the colour drained from her face when she looked at it.

"What is it?" I asked.

Haley handed me her phone. "Text from Tiffany." She said.

_if u dont get ur ass to my house asap and quit hanging out wit that loser we are no longer friends. i cant believe u would rather hang out with her then wit ur tru friends. if i dont see u in the next hr we are DONE n im not a very nice enemy._

"Wow." I said, handing her back her phone. "Why does she care so much?" Haley whispered something I couldn't hear. "What?" I asked, leaning closer.

She sighed. "I know secrets about her." She told me quietly. "Like, really bad secrets. Ruin her life secrets."

"So she is scared you'll blab them?" I asked.

"I guess so." Haley answered. "I'm scared she'll make shit up about me. Honestly, I've never trusted Kerry or Tiffany enough to tell them deep, dark secrets. But-," She continued, "I've told Vanessa everything, and then some."

"And that's as good as telling Kerry and Tiffany." I finished.

Haley covered her face with her hands. "Oh, man, Char!" She moaned. "I don't know what to do! I think I'm fucked either way."

"Well, not for long." I assured her.

"What do you mean?" She asked me.

"Tiffany and Kerry are graduating this year." I answered. "So next year, they won't be around and you're free to be friends with whoever you want."

"I don't _want _to wait a year!" She exclaimed. "I've already wasted a year being friends with them... God, I can't do another!"

I was quiet. I didn't really know what to tell Haley. I wanted to be her friend again, but I didn't want her to feel she had to be. I also didn't want her to feel that she couldn't be my friend because of them.

"Char?" Haley asked, breaking my train of thought.

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind... I mean, I want to be friends again but right now... I think... I don't really know what to do." She took a deep breath and continued. "I think I just need to go home, and think. Talk to my mom. I mean, I know what she'll tell me to do... She loves you and Becca... but if I'm going to be harassed and tormented for the rest of the year..."

She looked up at me, her big, brown eyes wide with worry.

I gave her a small smile. "I totally understand." I assured her. "I obviously know what it feels like to be tormented. I wouldn't wish it on anyone."

Haley looked pained. "God, Char, I'm so sorry I let that happen for this past year. Vanessa was such a bitch to you, and I should have done something to stop her."

I shrugged. "It's water under the bridge now." I told her. "Just... do what you gotta do, and let me know what happens."

"Char, I really want to be friends again." Haley insisted.

"I know." I answered. "Just... figure it out. I'll see you around."

"Are you mad?"

I thought for a moment. "No... not mad." I answered. "Just... disappointed, I guess."

"I'm really sorry, Char." Haley told me.

"I know. I'll see you."

I picked up my backpack and walked across the grassy field. I wasn't sure what I was thinking. I guess I assumed my visit with Haley would either be terrible and we'd both be arrested, or it would be full of flowery goodness and we'd be inseperable. It went good, I felt comfortable with her and nothing was awkward. But I know Haley. I know that she is a follow-the-crowd kind of girl, and I knew she would be calling Tiffany right away and explaining to her that I was just helping her with her homework. She would tell them that she didn't want to tell the truth because she didn't think they would believe her. She would tell them how sorry she was, and my chances for being friends with Haley again would be down the toilet.

I made it home in about ten minutes. My mothers car was in the driveway, but I heard her shower running when I walked inside. I grabbed the phone off the kitchen table and took it up to my room, dialing Becca's number as I walked up the stairs.

"What?" came Becca's voice after several rings.

I was taken aback for a moment. "Hey, Beck." I said slowly. "How's it going?"

"Fine."

_Okaaaay_, I thought. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"What, you think that I have to tell you everything when you obviously don't tell me everything?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw you hanging out with Haley after school!" Becca exclaimed. "And I know that's what Adam was talking about at lunch. Bio test, my ass!"

"I didn't want to tell you until after we talked!" I exclaimed. "Haley wants to be friends with us again."

"Oh, goody!" Becca squealed sarcastically. "What makes you think I want to be friends with her again?"

"Because she's Haley, and you know that she's not like Vanessa." I told her.

"Whatever, Char." Becca answered. "You can go and be best friends with her all you want, but I'm not going to."

"Yeah, just like how you can go and be best friends with Jeff all of a sudden?" I snapped back. "Why did you go with him anyway?"

"Because I knew you were keeping secrets from me and it pissed me off!" Becca exclaimed.

"He called you Obama, Becca." I reminded her.

"So?" She asked. "Would you be offended if he called you McCain? Probably not, you'd probably think it was some pathetic joke. It didn't offend me, so shut up about it!"

"Why are you so friggin mad at me?" I asked her, irritated. "I didn't really do anything wrong!"

"Yeah, you kinda did, Charlotte!" She shot back. "You lied to me, so you could go and hang out with some bitch who made our lives hell over the last year! Some bitch who totally trashed our friendships so she could go get drunk with some sluts. She's dead to me."

"That pretty harsh." I said quietly.

"So what?" Becca hissed. "What goes around, comes around. Karma's a bitch, and guess what? So is Haley. So you can go and be friends with her all you want, but you will not be friends with the both of us."

With that, Becca slammed the phone down in my ear. I winced and hung up my own phone.

"Jesus Christ, this is worse than Romeo and Juliet." I groaned, flopping down onto my bed. First Vanessa hates me for dating her brother, now Becca is pissed off at me for hanging around with Haley. What's next, my mother jealous of my English teacher, because I spend so much time at school?

"Char, you home?"

"In my room!" I called back, my face muffled by the pillow I was hugging. Mom came into my room, dressed in sweats with a towel in her hair.

"Who were you on the phone with?" She asked, sitting down in my desk chair. "Sounded pretty intense."

"Becca." I muttered.

"Since when do you and Becca fight?"

"Since she became a jealous freak." I replied

"Char!"

I sat up. "Mom, it's so ridiculous!" I complained. "Haley is in my English class, and she wanted to get together after school. I heard her and Vanessa talking in the bathroom, and Haley said she is sick of Kerry and Tiffany. So we decided we'd meet up and talk. I didn't want to tell Becca right away cause I didn't know what would happen... But then, Adam had to go and open his stupid, big mouth and I had to lie to Becca to cover my ass. Now she is pissed off at me, saying I'd rather hang out with Haley than her. Which, probably won't even happen, cause Tiffany basically threatened Haley if she hung out with me."

"Jeez, sometimes your school reminds me of 90210." Mom told me. "I understand you wanting to reconcile with Haley. You two have been friends since you were in diapers. But, you and Becca have been though a lot together, including being left out by Haley and Vanessa. You can understand her being upset with this, can't you?"

"Well, yeah." I answered. "But she barely even let me explain! She didn't even let me tell her that Tiffany was texting and threatening Haley, and that Haley and I probably wouldn't be able to hang out together anyway."

"What kind of threats?"

I sighed. "She texted her saying that she makes a really bad enemy, and if Haley decided to hang out with me, her friendship with them is done. Vanessa saw us at the Rosebud, and basically told her the same."

"I don't want you getting mixed up with them." Mom told me.

"Mom, I'm not going to get mixed up with them." I said. "I had my chance, remember? Hense the reason why I'm not friends with Haley and Vanessa anymore!"

"I know, you're a smart kid." Mom said with a smile. "I think your first step is to try to talk to Becca and explain what happened. You don't want to lose her frienship too, do you?"

"Of course not."

Mom handed me the phone. "Then don't." She said, ruffling my hair before walking out of my room.

I groaned, but dialed Becca's number anyway.

"Hello?" It was her mom.

"Hi, Janice, is Becca there?" I asked.

"Hi, Char." Janice said pleasantly. "Becca told me to tell you that she isn't home, so whatever tiff you're having, I hope you can work it out tomorrow."

"I need to talk to her now." I told Janice. "Just tell her it's important, please?"

"I'll see what I can do." Janice answered. "I'll try to get her to call you back."

"Thanks, Janice." I said, hanging up. I drummed my fingers on my nightstand, staring at the phone, silently willing it to ring. I waited about ten minutes, with no phone call, so I decided to face Becca in person. I grabbed my jacket, ran downstairs, slipped into my shoes and ran out the door.

As I rounded the corner to Becca's front door, a familiar red truck was sitting, idling on the road in front of her house. A blonde haired teenaged boy was sitting in the drivers seat. Jeff. I stormed up to the passenger door and flung in open.

"Wow, is this going to be a three some?" Jeff asked when he saw me.

"What the hell are you doing?" I demanded.

Jeff shrugged. "Picking up Becca, what does it look like I'm doing?"

"Why are you picking her up?"

"What are you, her mother?"

I glared at Jeff. "Well, you have to leave." I told him. "I need to talk to Becca, and it's more important than whatever stupid, illegal bullshit you have up your sleeve."

"Do you have to butt into every single aspect of my life?" I turned around, and Becca was glaring at me.

"I wanted to explain to you about-" I started, but Becca cut me off.

"Don't bother." She snapped. "I really don't care to hear stories about how you and Haley are all besties now. Now, excuse me, I have a friend waiting for me."

I barely moved before Becca pushed past me and climbed into Jeff's truck. I stood there, in the Ramsey's front yard, watching them speed up Locust. I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath.

"This is the most fucked up Monday in the history of the world." I announced, heading back to my house.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

The rest of the week was terrible. Becca ignored me all week, and spent all her time with Jeff. I tried talking to her, but she wasn't having any of it. She wouldn't answer my phone calls, texts... I even left her a letter in her locker and she threw it in the garbage. She can definitely be stubborn when she wanted to be, and she wanted to be this time around.

Haley tried to be nice to me when it was convenient, like in English, or in passing. I knew she was trying, and was stuck between a rock and a hard place, but I just didn't get why it was such a big deal. She told me she had secrets on Tiffany, so I didn't really understand why she didn't threaten her back.

I spent most of my week with Adam, Shea, Corrie and Carolyn. We were actually having tons of fun together, they were all really laid back and just fun to be around. No drama, no cattiness, just hanging out. But... None of them were Becca, and that's who I missed the most. I still couldn't believe she was hanging out with Jeff. Jeff Schafer, of all people. He was such an arrogant prick! I really hoped she knew what she was getting herself into.

After school was over on Friday, Adam met me at my locker. We had plans to hang out at my house that evening with Corrie, Shea and Carolyn. My mom was working the night shift and my dad was spending the weekend in Manhattan, so it was the perfect opportunity to have friends come over.

"Hey babe." Adam said, standing behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. "Ready to get out of Guantanamo Bay for a few days?"

"Yeah, I just need to figure out what I need to bring for homework." I answered, flipping though my agenda. I pulled my history and biology books out of my locker and shoved them into my backpack. "I think that's all I need."

"Good, let's go." Adam said, picking up my backpack as I closed my locker. I took it from him and pulled it on as we walked down the hall.

"Talk to Becca yet?" He asked me.

I shook my head. "She is completely ignoring me this whole week." I grumbled. "I don't get it. I mean, okay, I lied to her. But it was hardly a lie, and it was five days ago! She can be so friggin stubborn sometimes."

"Do you want me to talk to her?" Adam asked. "I know you said no, but are you sure?"

I sighed. "Yeah, I'm sure." I answered. "I don't think sending you in to fight my battles would sit well with her."

"Then you have to do something about it." Adam said, holding the door open for me as we walked outside.

I rolled my eyes. "Like what?" I asked. "Talking to her? Didn't work. Texting her? Nope, didn't work? Oh, I know, I could write her a note! Nope-."

"You don't have to get snarky about it." Adam told me. "I'm just saying."

"And I'm just saying that I have tried!" I answered. "She. Won't. Talk. To. Me."

"Well, we'll think of something." Adam said, smiling as he opened the passenger door for me. I climbed in and set my bag on the floor.

"Sorry for being snarky." I apologised as Adam climbed in his side.

"Yeah, you better be, otherwise I might pull a Becca too." Adam replied. He must have saw the horrified look on my face, because he quickly said. "Honey, I'm teasing! I'm not going to 'pull a Becca'. You can't get rid of me that easily, okay?"

I forced a smile. "Okay." I answered.

Adam rubbed my knee. "And Becca is just being stubborn." He added. "She'll come around, I know she will."

"We'll see what happens, I guess." I said as Adam pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards my house.

"We should order pizza tonight." Adam stated. "I could use a good pizza."

"I could use a stuff drink." I half joked.

Adam laughed. "We can do that too." He teased. "I think Corrie and Shea were going to bring some booze over anyway."

"That's okay, as long as it stays just the five of us." I said, trying not to get worried about this. "I don't want a huge party."

"They don't have to bring booze if you don't want them to." Adam told me. "It's your house, babe, you make the decisions."

"No, no, I wouldn't mind having a couple drinks tonight." I assured him. "Just nothing too crazy."

"Jeff's not coming, so you don't have to worry about craziness." Adam said with a laugh.

A few minutes later, he pulled into my driveway. Have I mentioned before how much I hate being in a house alone? I was glad Adam was with me. We walked in the front door, and I immediately started turning on lights, the TV and the heat.

Adam laughed at me. "You're so funny." He said. "Man, I love a quiet, empty house."

"You wouldn't if you had to come home to it every day." I told him.

Adam wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in close. "Come here." He murmured. "It's been a shitty week for you, hasn't it?"

All the stress from Vanessa and Haley and Becca and trying to make everyone happy and worrying about what everyone thought started to pour out of me in the form of tears. I hated crying in front of people, I _hated _it! But I knew Adam wasn't going to judge me for this. I knew he wasn't going to tease or mock me later, so I just stood there, clinging to him and soaking the front of his shirt with my tears.

"I just... miss her." I sobbed, wiping my eyes. "It's all so stupid!"

"You know she'll come around." Adam told me softly, stroking my hair.

"But what if she doesn't?"

"She will."

"But what if she _doesn't_?"

"_She will_."

"But what if-"

Adam laughed, interrupting me. "I can keep this game up all night if I have to!"

I laughed too. "Maybe she will come around." I said. "I just hope it's sooner rather than later."

"I'm sure it will be." Adam answered. "I mean, I know Jeff is one of my oldest friends, but Becca is way too good for him. I hope she realizes it soon."

"Me too." I said, breaking away from our hug. I stood on my toes and gave him a kiss.

"Thank you." I said.

"For what?"

I kissed him again. "For being you."

"I think that's the cheesiest thing anyone has ever said to me." Adam told me.

I poked him in the side. "Thanks!" I joked.

He pulled me back into a hug. "Thank you for being you, too." He whispered into my ear.

I laughed and hugged him back. "Now who's cheesy?" I murmured into his shirt.

We stood there together for a few more moments, until the doorbell rang.

"Darn, and just when I was going to get lucky." Adam joked, pulling away. I playfully slapped his arm and went to answer the door.

"Hey woman!" It was Corrie and Carolyn, armed with paper bags. I eyed them warily.

"What's in those?" I asked, assuming they were filled with booze.

Corrie handed me a bag. "Snacks." She said. "Paper, not plastic. Environmentally groovy."

I laughed. "You're a dork." I told her, taking the bag and leading them into the kitchen.

"It's not all snacks." Carolyn assured us, setting her bag on the table. "We've got yummy peach vodka, peach juice, regular vodka, Pepsi and Paralyzer mix. Just for something different."

"Sounds amazing." Adam said dryly, eyeing the bags.

"Shea is on his way with beer for you penises." Corrie said with a laugh. "We also brought cookie dough, so we can make cookies!"

"Oh, yum!" I said, snatching it away from Corrie. "Let's do these right now!"

"I thought we were going to get pizza." Adam told me.

Carolyn rolled her eyes dramatically. "Duh, Adam." She told him. "Cookies have to bake!"

"So does pizza, dumbass!" Adam answered, laughing.

I pulled a cookie sheet out from under the stove and set it on the counter. "Well, we're making cookies, so you can deal with it." I teased him.

Adam leaned against the fridge and crossed his arms. "I'm so outnumbered." He pouted.

"Aww, baby." I teased, wrapping my arms around his waist and kissing him.

"Okay, ew." Corrie declared, grabbing some glasses out of the cupboard. "Get a room."

"Okay!" Adam agreed, pretending to make a run for the stairs.

"You dork." I teased. I wished that Adam didn't joke like that so much. It made me think that he really wanted to hook up with me, and I wasn't ready. I was probably one of the last girls in my grade to be a virgin, but I wanted to wait until I was ready. Maybe I'd be ready in a week, maybe a month, maybe six months. But I wasn't going to sleep with Adam until I was 100 ready.

"You know I'm just joking." Adam whispered into my ear.

I nodded. "I know." I answered.

"Here, Char." Carolyn said. "If you can pry your hands off your foxy man, here's a drink."

"Foxy, huh?" Adam struck a really lame model pose.

"Don't... don't ever do that again." I warned him, taking a sip of my drink. "Mmm, this is really good!"

"Char's getting drunk tonight." Corrie said in a sing-song voice as Adam snatched my drink away and took a gulp. He made a face.

"See, this is why I didn't make one for you." Carolyn scolded as Adam gave me back my drink.

"Thank God." Adam replied as someone knocked on the patio door.

"Anyone home?" It was Shea.

"Only if you have beer!" Adam yelled back.

Shea came from the family room into the kitchen. "You betcha, my friend." He said, holding up a case of Budweiser. Adam and I moved out of the way so Shea could put the beer in the fridge. I hoisted myself onto the counter beside the sink, and Adam sat on a stool at the island.

"Are we making cookies or what?" Corrie demanded.

"I think that's our cue, man." Adam said, picking up his beer and leading Shea out of the kitchen.

"Jeez, finally!" I said loudly.

"I heard that!" Adam called.

"I know!" I called back.

Corrie rolled her eyes. "You guys are just too darn disgustingly cute." She told me, handing me the cookie dough package.

"Thanks." I said. "I really like him."

"He really likes you too." Carolyn said, opening up a bag of chips. "You guys kind of have that I-need-a-man-or-I'm-gonna-slit-my-wrists kind of effect on me."

"Um..." I started. "You're welcome?"

Carolyn burst out laughing. "You are so funny."

"Have to talked to Becca yet?" Corrie asked me.

I sighed. "No." I admitted. "I tried, but she won't talk to me. She can seriously be _sooo _stubborn when she wants to be!"

"That's really shitty." Corrie said. "I mean, yeah, okay, you didn't tell her exactly what you were doing after school. But who cares? You weren't doing it to be a bitch or anything."

"That's what I tried to tell her." I answered. "I wanted to wait until after my meeting with Haley before telling her, just because I didn't know how it would go!"

"She'll get over it." Carolyn assured me. "She's just being Becca right now."

"Pretty much." I agreed. "I just wish she'd talk to me."

At that moment, Adam and Shea walked back into the kitchen. "Okay, it's pretty lame that two guys have to sit alone in the living room while three girls are in the kitchen." Shea announced.

"We thought you two wanted to be alone." Corrie teased.

"Shea's quick, what can I say?" Adam joked, standing in front of me so I could rest my head on his shoulder from behind.

"Yeah, riiiight." Shea answered sarcastically, then shook his head vigorously at Corrie.

"Doesn't matter if you last or not, it's not gonna happen Shea-Man." Corrie told him with a laugh.

"Never say never." Shea answered with a wink.

"Are we ordering pizza?" Carolyn interrupted. "I thought we were having pizza!"

"Jeez, what have you girls been doing in here?" Shea asked. "We thought the pizza would have been here by now!

I pulled the menu off the bulletin board and handed it to him. "Pitter patter, get at 'er." I told him.

Shea sighed dramatically. "Do I have to do everything?" He moaned. "Is that all I'm good for?"

"Yeah, now order something good, otherwise you'll be in trouble!" Carolyn joked.

We argued for a bit but finally decided on a (disgusting) meat lovers with sausage for the boys, and a tropical chicken for the girls. They would deliver it in about half an hour.

"I think we should play drinking games tonight." Corrie announced.

I groaned. "They make me so drunk though!"

"Let's do it!" Adam teased, squeezing my knees.

"Let's not." I replied firmly.

Everyone was quiet for a moment, and I felt like I just put a damper on the night. I kept thinking that if I didn't sleep with Adam, he might break up with me. It was obvious that he wanted to hook up, as he talked about it constantly, and it made me uncomfortable. I was feeling so uncomfortable that I pushed Adam out of my way and jumped off the counter.

"I'll be right back." I said, walking towards the stairs.

"Where you going?" Adam asked.

"I just need to get something." I told him as I ran up the stairs. I went into my room and flopped onto my bed. I felt torn. Part of me felt like I was being a huge baby about all of this. I wished I could just be cooler about the whole situation. But the other part of me was a bit mad. Adam and I hadn't had a 'sex talk' yet, we had only been dating for a week. But everyone else I know was already having sex, and I was the only one not. I know that Adam knew that, even if I hadn't told him, and actions supposedly speak louder than words. How could he not know how uncomfortable it was making me when I was acting so uncomfortable?

I wished I could talk to Becca. She always knew what to say to make me feel better. She would tell me how to talk to Adam, and she would make me laugh. Even though it had only been a few days since we talked, it felt like an eternity. I needed my best friend back.

I had been upstairs for close to ten minutes when I heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Char?"

"In here." I answered, not moving. I heard the footsteps come into my bedroom.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

Adam sat on the edge of my bed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Liar."

I sighed. "I'm really fine."

"Then why are you laying in your bedroom all alone, while you have a houseful of people downstairs?"

"I don't know."

Adam sighed, obviously exasperated. "Come on, Char!" He said. "Talk to me. What's going on?"

"Do you want to have sex with me?"

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Why are you asking me that?"

"Because I want to know."

"Why?"

"Because you obviously want to."

"How do you know?"

I rolled over and faced Adam. "You make little comments all the time!"

"Jeez, Char, I'm a seventeen year old guy!" Adam exclaimed. "I have a hot girlfriend. If I didn't make comments, there would be something wrong with me."

"Well, maybe there's something wrong with me then." I answered, rolling back over.

"Like what?"

"Like the fact that I am the only girl I know who is a virgin." I answered. "Like the fact that I have a really hot boyfriend who obviously wants to sleep with me, and I don't want to. At least not right away."

"Char, look at me." Adam said, tugging on my arm. I rolled over and looked at my boyfriend.

"What?"

"Do you really think I would make you have sex with me if you weren't ready?" He asked me.

I shrugged. I really didn't think so, but I really didn't know.

"That really sucks that you don't know." Adam said quietly, and I realized he was hurt by my lack of trust. "I hoped that you would know me better than that. I'm not some asshole who doesn't care about you or your feelings or anything like that. I care about you, not about sex."

"I'm sorry." I whispered. "I just... I don't want you to break up with me because I don't want to sleep with you."

"Char, we've only been dating a week!" Adam laughed. "It's not like we've been married for ten years and still aren't hooking up. It's only been a week!"

"I just don't want to wreck anything." I said, barely audible.

Adam laid down beside me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Babe, you're not going to!" He assured me. "I like how this is going, I like you a lot. Whether we have sex next week, next month, a year from now or... whenever, I don't care. I just want to be with you, that's all that matters."

I rolled over and smiled at Adam. "Thank you." I told him. "I really... I really needed to hear that."

Adam kissed my forehead. "Don't worry about it so much, okay?" He told me. "There's no reason to. I promise."

"Okay." I answered back, giving him a kiss. He pulled me close and breathed in deep.

"Why do you always smell so good?" He murmured into my hair.

"Um... cause I shower?" I teased.

"I'll have to try it sometime."

"Yeah, you should."

Adam laughed and swatted my behind. "Brat." He joked. He stood up and pulled me up. "Okay, let's quit being snobs and go find our friends. I bet the pizza is almost here."

"Okay." I answered. I wrapped my arms around him before walking downstairs. "Why are you so great?"

Adam kissed the top of my head. "Cause I got a great girl."

"You can be so cute and so cheesy sometimes." I said with a giggle.

We walked back downstairs, and everyone was still in the kitchen.

"Man, we thought you guys ended up in Sardina or something." Shea said when he saw us coming into the kitchen.

Carolyn doubled over with laughter. "You mean _Narnia_?" She exclaimed. "Shea-Man, you are such a fruit!"

"Hey, I was close!" Shea protested as the doorbell rang.

"Pizza!" Corrie cheered.

I jumped off the bottom stair and went to the front door, fully prepared to be greeted with two boxes of piping hot, delicious pizza. Instead, standing on my front stoop, was Becca and Jeff.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"What are you doing here?" I asked Becca, in a curious manner, not in a demanding tone of voice. She didn't answer, and just pushed past me into the kitchen. Jeff gave me a small, almost sympathetic, smile and followed her.and I have only talked

"Hey, guys." Adam said, looking bewildered. "What's up?"

"I heard you were having a party, and I wanted to see where you hid the skanks." Becca replied, hands on hips and glaring at me. "Nice to know that you already invite them before me."

"Becca, first of all, they aren't here." I told her.

"Um, pizza?" The delivery guy called over me from the front door. None of us even knew he showed up. I shoved forty bucks into Adam's hand and continued talking.

"Haley and I only talked that one day, we haven't hung out since. And secondly, I would have invited you here if you would actually talk to me!"

"Yeah, right." Becca snapped. "Are they coming over later? Are you guys going to do Jell-O shots and giggle and gossip the whole night away, and just be totally awesome, new besties for life?"

"Becca, come on." Corrie cut in. "I'm sure you guys are more than welcome to stay," she said, glancing at me, "but not if you're just going to cause drama. Charlotte has been totally torn up about fighting with you all week."

"Oh, poor wittle Char." Becca said in a mocking baby voice. "I don't fucking care how torn up she's been. Maybe she shouldn't have lied to me about hanging out with the one person I truely hate."

"Why do you hate Haley so much?" Carolyn asked her. "I thought it was Vanessa who was the cause of everything?"

Becca made eye contact with me, the first time in a week, and I kind of shrugged at her. I was the only other person who knew what Haley had done to Becca, I don't think Haley even knew that I knew. I wasn't about to say anything, I would leave that one up to Becca.

"You don't know what happened." Becca told Carolyn evenly. "It doesn't matter, anyway. It's no one's business."

"Does Charlotte know?" Corrie asked. "Cause if she didn't know, how can you be mad at her?"

Becca looked at me. "She knows." She said, not taking her eyes off me as she answered Corrie.

"Look, Becca, I said I was sorry like fifty thousand times!" I exclaimed, exasperated. "What more do you want me to do? I made a mistake, I'm sorry. I missed Haley, but I miss you so much more!"

Becca rolled her eyes at me but didn't say anything.

"How about if we go into the living room, and you guys maybe talk a bit?" Corrie suggested.

Becca didn't answer, so Corrie and Carolyn followed the boys lead and went into the living room. They took off pretty much right away. We all know how much guys hate drama.

"Why are you still so mad at me?" I asked Becca. "I mean, I know you're usually stubborn, but this is a little ridiculous."

"I _hate _her." Becca whispered. "And you know that! And you know what she did to me was horrible!"

"I know!" I answered. "And I don't know why I went with her. I guess I just wanted things to go back to normal."

"You know they can't, and won't."

I was quiet for a minute. "I know." I finally admitted. As much as I wanted them to be normal again, Becca was right. After Vanessa being terrible to me, and Haley being terrible to Becca, things would never be the same.

"Becca, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Why are you hanging out with-." I lowered my voice, "-Jeff?"

Becca shot a glance towards the living room, making sure no one was listening. "'Cause he can't stand Haley, so she can't steal him away from me."

"That's the only reason?"

Becca shrugged. "He's cute, too." She told me.

"Yeah, but he's a bit of a jerk."

"He's not as bad as he once was." Becca said,chewing on her lower lip.

I sighed. "If you say so." I replied, not really believing her. After we both paused for a minute, I spoke up again. "So... are we friends again?"

Becca glanced up at me. "You swear that you aren't friends with Haley?"

"I swear." I answered.

Becca nodded and let a small smile creep across her face. "Good." She replied. "I missed you. I felt so left out this week."

"I missed you, too." I told her, giving her a hug. It seemed like such a silly little fight, but I understood how Becca felt. The one person in the world who she hates was having coffee with her best friend, and her best friend lied to her about it. I would feel terrible if she had coffee with Vanessa and lied to me about it.

"I'm sorry, Beck." I told her after we seperated.

"Me, too." She said. "So, can Jeff and I stay?"

"Nah, you guys have to leave." I said teasingly.

"Seriously, do you care if Jeff is here?" Becca asked. "I mean, we aren't dating or anything, we've just been hanging out... et cetra."

"What does 'et cetra' mean, exactly?" I asked her warily. "Are you guys hooking up?"

"Would you think less of me if we were?"

"Becca!" I hissed. "Why?"

She shrugged, looking embarrassed. "I don't know." She admitted. "I like that he finds me attractive enough to hook up with."

"Jeez." I said, not impressed. When Becca slept with Jake, it was different. Jake and her had known each other forever and were dating since middle school. Jeff is... well, Jeff. He's a slut, and I know he's slept with quite a few girls, considering he is only seventeen.

"Don't be mad at me about it." Becca pleaded.

"I'm not mad at all, dork!" I said with a laugh. "I just don't think it's the best idea."

"Yeah, but..." Becca trailed off. "I don't know. It's not like I'm going to get pregnant!"

"Better not!" I replied. "I'm too young to be an auntie!"

"Oh, BS, you're Auntie Char to Stacey's kids." Becca laughed.

"Stacey should be the perfect example as to what _not _to do." I reminded her. "She wasn't much older than us when she first got pregnant. And now she's got two and she's only twenty."

"Yeah, but her and Ethan are so good together." Becca sighed. "He's such a fox."

"Ethan is no Jeff." I reminded her. "Ethan is like... God's mould for the perfect man."

"Aww, me, really?" I turned around and laughed at Adam.

"Yeah, you." I teased as he stood behind me and put his hands on my shoulders.

"I was going to wait to come in, but I heard the guy talk starting, so I figured everything was okay." Adam said with a grin. "You girls better get in there and eat some pizza before it's all gone."

"Can't let that happen!" Becca announced, jumping up and racing into the living room. I stood up as well.

"Everything okay?" Adam asked.

"Yeah, we're over it now." I told him. "It was such a stupid fight, but I can understand how Becca feels."

"Why does she hate Haley so much?" Adam asked. "I mean, besides the fact that she's irritating as hell."

I pursed my lips and shrugged. "Well..." I began hesitantly.

Adam held up his hands. "If it's a big deal, I don't want to know." He said. "Last thing I want is another fight between you and Becca, caused by yours truly."

"Oh, it wasn't your fault." I assured him. "I shouldn't have lied to her in the first place."

"Well, so long as everything is good, then that's good." Adam answered, taking my hand and leading me into the living room. I quickly pulled him into the bathroom right before the living room and planted a big kiss on him.

"You are definitely getting bolder my dear." He teased, kissing me back.

"I'll stop if you don't like bold." I teased back.

Adam shook his head. "No... no." He said with a grin. "I love boldness!"

I grinned back as we walked into the living room. Everyone else was sitting around on the chairs and couches, just chatting and having a good time. Adam sat down in the only chair left, and I settled down on his lap.

"I still think we need to play some games." Corrie announced. "Nothing major... maybe Bitch or something."

"Do you want to?" Adam asked me quietly.

I nodded. "Sure, why not?"

"Why don't we save the drinking games for later?" Becca suggested. "How about Truth or Dare first?"

"Fuck, is this some middle school sleepover?" Shea groaned. Carolyn swatted him.

"It can be a fun game." She insisted, glancing at Adam and I. "What do you guys say?"

I shrugged. I have never been a big fan of Truth or Dare, mostly because Vanessa and Haley used to humiliate us with it. But I was with a good group of people now, and it would probably be okay.

"Can we pass on stuff?" I asked.

"Yeah, let's use the three pass rule." Corrie agreed. "I love Truth or Dare!"

"I'll go first." Becca insisted. After clearing her throat, she said, "Shea, truth or dare?"

"I'm too comfortable to move, so truth." Shea answered, as he reclined on my dad's Laz-E-Boy.

"Okay." Becca agreed. "What girl do you like?"

"You, baby." Shea teased, winking at her. Becca laughed and scooted away from Jeff, closer to Shea.

"Hey!" Jeff protested. "You don't want some red-headed dork when you can have _this_, do you?"

"Maybe I'll just have both." Becca joked. "Anyway, Shea, answer me!"

Shea was starting to turn red, and I felt bad for him.

"Um..." Shea began, glancing around. His eyes landed on Corrie, then he quickly looked away.

"I think you just answered it right there, buddy." Jeff told him with a laugh.

Corrie's eyes widened. "How did he answer it?" She asked nervously. "He didn't say anything!"

"I'm taking a pass on that one." Shea quickly answered. "Carolyn, truth or dare?"

We kept playing a few more rounds. Nothing too major was asked. We found out that Jeff was only thirteen when he lost his virginity, Carolyn kissed a girl once, Corrie had to crank call the school principal, I had to admit that I had seen porn before, Adam had to go over to Shea's house with just a towel on and a glass of iced tea, and ask his mom to stick her finger in it to sweeten it up (That was the highlight of the game!), Becca admitted that she stole before (nothing major, just some candy), and Shea confessed that he cries at the end of The Little Mermaid.

By the time we finished, it was about eight. All of us had gotten up at least once during the game to get a new drink, so we were all feeling giddy and happy. Jeff and Becca were getting a lot more cuddly, which was ticking me off but I tried not to show it. Shea seemed a little bummed out after our game. I think the first question definitely embarrassed him.

"Shit, we are so dumb!" Corrie said, jumping up. "We didn't even put the cookies in the oven! Char, come help me, I don't know how to use your new-fangled oven."

I stood up and followed Corrie into the kitchen. She walked right past the stove and helped herself to a shot, before mixing up another drink.

"What's with you?" I asked her, taking the vodka from her and making myself another drink as well.

Corrie gulped down a mouthful of booze. "Shea." She said breathlessly. "What is up with him?"

"I kind of think he likes you." I told her. "He looked right at you when Becca asked him that question."

"But it's Shea!" Corrie exclaimed. "Shea... I mean, I've known him forever!"

"Is it a bad thing?" I asked her, aimlessly stirring my drink. "He's a nice guy, but he's a friend."

"Sometimes friends can be more." I reminded her.

"Ooohhhh." Corrie groaned. "He is very cute, isn't he?"

I nodded. "You betcha." I replied, shoving the cookies in the oven. "I, personally, think you should go for it."

As if on cue, Shea wandered into the kitchen. I subtley winked at Corrie and walked past Shea. "Let me know when the cookies are done!" I called over my shoulder. I walked back into the living room, and saw Jeff and Becca snuggling on one of the chairs, and Adam and Carolyn were trying to ignore them.

"What the hell is going on?" Carolyn demanded. "Why is everyone getting coupled up except for me?"

"Go fight Corrie for Shea." Adam suggested, pulling me onto his lap. I snuggled into him. I loved snuggling with him!

"God, this is ridiculous!" Carolyn huffed. "All we need is more booze and less clothes and this would be an episode of 'The 5th Wheel'."

Becca stood up. "Well, why don't you keep these boys company for a minute?" She asked. "Char, can we chat upstairs?"

"Sure." I agreed, standing up and following her though the kitchen- "We aren't looking!" Becca called, covering her eyes- and up the stairs. We walked into my room and Becca sat in my desk chair, while I curled up on my bed.

"Okay." Becca began. "I was downstairs, and I can't remember exactly what Jeff said, but it got me thinking."

"About what?" I asked with a yawn.

"Haley."

"What about her?"

"You should invite her over!

I sat up straight. "Are you on glue?" I asked her. "Why the hell would I do that?"

"Because if we act all nice to her, maybe we can get her to tell us secrets!" Becca exclaimed. "And then we can stomp her to the ground like her and Vanessa did to us!"

"Becca, come on." I groaned. "It's not really worth it, is it?"

"Think about how miserable Vanessa has made you." Becca persisted. "Wouldn't it be wonderful to make her feel like shit?"

"Adam would hate me if I did that." I replied. "I don't want to, Becca. I just want things to blow over."

Becca leaned back in her chair and sighed. "I just hate her so much, Char." She whispered, her voice wavering. "After what she did... I just want her to fall off the face of the earth."

"I know." I answered quietly. "But spreading rumours about her is not going to make anything better.

Becca covered her face with her hands. "I know, but fuck! I hate her, I hate what she did to me, I hate what she said about me, and I hate how everyone actually believed her!"

"I didn't." I told her. "No one downstairs did. Don't you think life is too short to sit around, wasting the energy hating someone, rather than using that energy to have a good time with your friends? Your _real _friends?"

Becca started to cry, and I wasn't sure if it was the booze or the frusturation spilling out, but either way, I jumped up and wrapped my arms around her.

"You know... I know I said that me and him were better as friends." Becca sniffled. "But honestly, he could have been more. I think, no, I _know_, I really could have loved that boy."

"I'm sorry, Beck." I said softly, not really sure what else to say.

Becca grabbed a tissue off my desk and blew her nose. "I can't even look at him anymore." She told me. "Not since they... ugh, I can't even say it!"

She tossed that tissue in the garbage and pulled out another one. "It just makes me sick!" She said, wiping her eyes. "She knew he was mine, and we all know that Haley didn't give two shits about him! But she can't stand to see anyone else happy, can she? Fucking egocentric, narcissistic, slutty, cunt-faced _whore_!"

Becca's tears spilled over again. "I honestly don't even like Jeff!" She whispered. "I mean, yeah, he's friggin hot as hell, and he's, you know, he's got it going on down... there."

"T-M-I!" I interrupted

"Sorry." Becca said, gulping. "But... he's not Jake. Jake is a nerd, and he turns beat red if you cross your eyes at him, and he's, you know, a little on the bootylicious side... But he was so nice to me. My mom friggin loved him."

"But Becca." I began. "If he was so nice to you, why would he have cheated on you with Haley?"

"I wouldn't have called it _cheated_." Becca said defensively.

"Then what would you have called it?"

Becca paused for a moment. Then she said. "Persuasion."

"Oh, come off it Becca!" I scoffed. "He cheated on you, plain and simple!"

"But Haley also told him that I was fooling around with fucking Nicky Pike." She shot back. "And you know that Haley has a way of saying stuff to sound _very _believable. And Vanessa was no help, totally lying right along with Haley."

"I know, Becca." I answered. "But if he is such a pushover, do you really want him?"

"He's not a pushover." Becca insisted. "He's just kind of dumb... sweet but dumb."

I sighed. "I really don't know what to tell you." I told her. "If you still have feelings for him, that should tell you what to do."

Becca sighed too, and stood up. "Whoa, I'm tipsy." She said with a giggle. She placed her hand on the edge of the desk for a moment to regain her balance. "Okay." She said. "I'm going to go wash my face. I'll be downstairs in a bit."

"Okay." I answered, hugging her. "I'll be waiting for you."

"Thanks, darling." Becca said, stumbling out of my bedroom. I, too, stumblishly made my way down the stairs. The kitchen was empty, and a tray of burnt cookies were sitting on the stove. I quickly made another drink before going back into the living room. The tower of beer cans was getting bigger, and the laughter was getting louder.

"There's my sexy girlfriend!" Adam said, slightly slurring when he saw me. I grinned and settled onto his lap again. Looking around, I only saw Jeff sitting there.

"Where the hell is everyone else?" I demanded.

Jeff laughed loudly. "Apparently, Carolyn did a few shots too many, so Shea and Corrie drove her home."

"And they aren't coming back either!" Adam joked with a grin.

I swatted him on the arm. "Now, now." I said. "They are just doing a good deed."

"Doing the deed, and it will be good." Jeff laughed. "Speaking of that, where the hell is that hot ass raven?"

"Upstairs." I replied. "Not feeling well."

Jeff snorted. "Two down!" He cheered, holding up his beer.

That pissed me off. Jeff is supposed to be caring about Becca right now, not laughing at her because she isn't feeling well. And so what if she is feeling fine? Jeff doesn't know that. I thought about Jake, and wondered what he would be doing right now. I knew what he would be doing. He would have been up those stairs the second he saw me come down without Becca. He wouldn't be a jerk like Jeff. Okay, so maybe he did sort of cheat. But Becca was right, Haley and Vanessa can be very persuasive when they want to be. I could just picture Haley buttering up Jake, making him feel so important and special. The more I thought about it, the more I was angry at Haley. She is such a follower. I might be shy and reserved around people I don't know, but I like to believe I'm not a follower. And I would never do something that would hurt someone else, just because a friend told me to.

"Char!" Becca called in a strained voice. "Can you come here please? _Now_!"

I jumped up and rushed into the kitchen. Becca was sitting on the stairs, head in her hands.

"What's up?" I asked, sitting beside her.

"I need you to make Jeff leave." She mumbled.

"Why?"

Becca looked up at me. "I sort of... maybe... kinda... shit."

"You shit?" I asked. "Um... congratulations?"

"No!" Becca moaned. "I friggin texted Jake."

"You did?" Becca nodded. "And?

Becca grimaced. "He's coming over."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"He's coming over here?" I squaked. "Why the hell did you do that?"

Becca covered her face again. "I don't know, I don't know!" She moaned. "I'm a friggin idiot, aren't I?"

"Well, honestly, yeah!" I hissed. "Jeez, Becca, you have one guy in the living room that you're sleeping with, now you're inviting an ex boyfriend over to my house? How many guys are you trying to sleep with this week?"

"I'm not going to sleep with Jake!" Becca retorted. "I just wanted to see him, wanted to talk."

"And you think that drunkenly inviting him to my house at midnight is the way to go about that?"

"No... Yes... I don't know!"

I stood up. "Becca, you're my best friend." I told her. "But I'm not doing your dirty work for you. You want Jeff to leave, you tell him."

"But it's your house!" Becca wailed. "You have an excuse! What do I have?"

"Tell him you're sick and you need him to take you home." I suggested.

Becca snickered. "Yeah, I need him to walk me all fifty steps." Becca sighed. "Fine. I'll fucking do it."

She stood up and walked into the living roomm. Jeff glanced up at her, then continued his conversation with Adam. I rolled my eyes. What a jerk.

"Jeff, I'm going home." Becca announced. "I don't feel well. And I think Charlotte wants to go to bed."

Adam gave me a quizzical look, and I shook my head at him, ever so slightly. He leaned back in his chair, looking a little miffed. I know he didn't like all this drama and lying crap that was going on. I didn't either. But I didn't like Jeff, so I really didn't care if I lied to him.

"Okay." Jeff said, standing up. "Guess I'll walk you home."

The four of us walked into the kitchen, where Jeff and Becca pulled on their shoes and jackets.

"Um, I'll call you tomorrow." Becca said to me stiffly.

I nodded. "For sure." I said. "See you, Jeff."

"Bye." Jeff said, pulling open the door. They stepped outside and started across the lawn when a voice called out. "Hey, Becca!"

"Oh, shit." I muttered under my breath. No sneaky plan would ever go down smoothly. I wish I could remember that.

"What?" Adam asked. I grabbed his hand and we stood outside on the front stoop. Jake was walking across my yard at that very moment.

"Hi, Jake." I heard Becca say weakly.

"_Coon_?" Jeff asked. "Hell are you doing here?"

Jake shrugged. "Becca asked me to come over." He said slowly. "And now you're leaving?"

"Why would you ask him to come over and then want to leave right away?" Jeff asked Becca. "Why would you ask him to come over, period?"

"Yeah, why are you leaving, Becca?" Jake asked suspiciously. "I told you I would come over."

Both of the boys were looking at Becca expectantly, and she shot a glance my way, silently screaming _Help Me_!

I jumped off the stoop. "Hey Jake!" I said brightly. "It was actually me who texted you!"

Jake looked confused, and I wished like hell I knew what Becca said to him. "You did?"

I nodded vigorously. "Yeah!" I answered. "I just remembered that I really needed help on my, um, my... math homework... and who better to call than... than... than my old friend, Jake!?"

Jake was looking more confused by the minute. "Charlotte, I'm not really very good at math." He said slowly.

"Oh, quit being modest!" I laughed, probably a little too loudly, and grabbed his arm. "Come and help me, it's really, very important, because I... really need to... I need help. Right now!"

"Why did you text him at midnight on a Friday night to help you with math, when he says he's no good at it?" Jeff asked.

"Yeah, why?" Adam added, crossing his arms. I glared at Adam, shooting daggars at him with my eyes, but smiled as brightly as I could.

"Like I said, Jake is just modest!" I replied. "Aren't you, Jake?" I squeezed his arm while saying the last sentence, hoping like hell that dumb, old Jake would catch on.

He didn't.

"I'm really not, Char." Jake protested. "I got a 52% on the last test. I think you are way smarter than I am."

"Just. Come. Help. Me. _Now_!" I said with clenched teeth, pulling him towards the steps.

"Hi, Adam." Jake greeted him weakly as I dragged him past Adam, who was giving me a terribly dirty look. Shit, Becca. _Shit_. You are such a piece of work.

"We're going to go to homework now!" I called back outside with a very uncharacteristic, high-pitched voice. I slammed the front door and glared at Jake.

"Jesus, Jake!" I hissed. "Can't you take a God damn hint?"

Jake held his hands up in defence. "I have no idea what the hell just happened." He told me. Looking worried, he added. "Jeff and Adam aren't going to beat me up, are they?"

"No, dumbass!" I said, exasperated. "But I might!"

I felt someone pushing on the door behind me, so I moved out of the way and pulled it open. Adam walked in and just shook his head at us.

"As ridiculous as that was, it was pretty entertaining." Adam admitted. To Jake, he said, "Did my girlfriend rip your arm out of the socket?"

Jake laughed nervously. "Um, almost, I think." He answered.

"What the hell was that?" Adam asked me. "What kind of shit is Becca getting into now?"

I sighed and jerked my thumb towards Jake. "She wanted _him _to come over, but wanted-" I jerked my thumb the other way, "-_him _to leave."

"So why did you step in?"

"Because Becca didn't know what to do!" I exclaimed. "She was friggin dying out there, and she is supposed to be the more outspoken one!"

Adam started laughing again. "Fuck, man, Kuhn!" He said, chuckling. "You were fucking lost out there!"

Jake laughed too. "I still have no idea what happened." He admitted. "We aren't really doing homework, are we?"

"Only if you want to." I assured him. "Becca will be back any minute."

"Why did she text me?"

I shrugged. "Who knows." I answered. "But, oh! Speaking of texting, I should find out where Corrie and Shea are."

Adam snickered and started to talk, but I covered his mouth. "Don't." I said firmly. "We all know what you and Jeff want to believe, now let me find out the truth."

Jake looked even more bewildered than normal. "What the hell kind of night did you guys have?" He asked.

"You don't want to know." I answered, quickly texting Corrie's number.

"How long do you think Becca will be?" Jake asked, checking his watch. "If my mom catches me out so late, I'll be in a lot of trouble."

"Not long, I don't think." I answered without looking up from my phone. Adam was fiddling with the tab on the top of his beer. Neither one of really knew what to say to Jake, so no one said much of anything.

Finally, Becca burst back though the door. She noticed us all sitting around the the table and smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, guys." She told us. "Guess I kind of ruined the night."

"Nah, Jeff leaving was the highlight of my night." I said dryly.

Jake smiled at Becca. "Hi." He said shyly.

"Hi." Becca answered, just as shyly. "Um... how are you?"

"Good." Jake replied.

"Good."

I glanced at Adam. This was too painfully awkward to sit around and try to enjoy. I stood up.

"We'll be upstairs if you need anything." I told Becca. "Let me know if you leave."

Becca smiled gratefully at me. "Thanks, Char." She said. Adam stood up as well and followed me up the stairs. I flopped onto my bed, and Adam laid down beside me, burying his face in a pillow.

"Masoriad." He mumbled.

I laughed. "What?"

He turned his face and grinned at me. "I'm so tired." He told me, draping his arm across my stomach.

"Me, too." I answered, closing my eyes. Adam pulled me closer and snuggled against me.

"I wish I could stay here." Adam said into my hair. "But I guess I need to go home pretty quick.  
"Really?" I said, disappointed

Adam nodded. "You know it's the best idea."

I sighed. I knew he was right, but snuggling with him felt so good, I didn't want him to leave.

"I know." I answered, wrapping my arms around him and pulling myself closer. "I just wish it wasn't the best idea."

Adam laughed. "God, you're cute." He declared, kissing my forehead.

"You're not so bad yourself, Mr. Pike." I teased. We laid there quietly for a few moments, then Adam spoke up.

"Why did Becca call Jake?" He asked. "I mean, she's been sleeping with Jeff, then she gets drunk and calls her ex boyfriend? And she calls my sister a skank?"

"She's not a skank." I said defensively. "She is just confused. It happens. She misses him."

"What happened with them in the first place?" Adam asked me.

"You don't know?" I said, surprised.

Adam shrugged. "I guess I heard things." He replied. "But never the full story."

"I thought you hated gossip and drama." I teased him. "Why do you want to know this?"

"Cause it involves my sister, doesn't it?"

I sighed. "Yeah, kind of." I answered. "Vanessa, for some reason, didn't like that Becca was happy with Jake, so she had to ruin it. Her and Haley devised this plan to make it seem like Becca had cheated on Jake. They Photoshopped some pics of her, saying this guy she was with was a friend of her sisters. Jake, sweet, dumb-as-a-post, Jake, believed it and was devestated. Haley came on to him, and Jake fell for it and they hooked up."

"Haley actually hooked up with him?" Adam asked with a snicker.

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess she tried telling everyone that she didn't, she just fooled around with him, but Jake said they actually did."

"So Becca was obviously pissed."

I nodded. "More so at Haley, cause Vanessa denied that she had anything to do with it. Plus, Haley was the one who actually slept with him."

"She wasn't mad at Jake?"

"She was... but when she saw the pictures Vanessa edited, she saw how real they looked, and wasn't as mad at him."

"That seems dumb." Adam answered. "Jake should have been able to tell they were phoneys."

"Jake is also... missing the toy in his Happy Meal." I answered with a grin. "He's not the brightest kid around."

"Very true." Adam agreed. "Well... I hope they can figure something out. Jeff is one of my best friends, but he's not a great boyfriend type."

"He should take some lessons from you." I said with a smile.

"It's easy to be great when you have someone great." Adam answered.

"We sure can be disgusting and cheesy, can't we?" I laughed. Adam snickered and stretched his arms.

"I _really _should go." He murmured.

"I know." I answered. That was the last thing I remember saying, until around four am, which I was awoken by a screeching voice.

"Charlotte Marie Johanssen!"

I sat up straight in bed and looked around. My mother, still dressed in her scrubs, was standing in my doorway, hands on her hips and absolutely glaring at me. The sky outside was still dark, the clock read 4:24 am... and Adam was sitting staight up in bed beside me.

"What the _hell _is going on here?" My mother demanded. She didn't wait for either one of us to answer before she continued. "Beer cans all over my living room, Becca passed out on the couch with _Jake Kuhn_, and my fifteen year old daughter in bed with a boy? What the hell were you thinking, Charlotte?"

"Mrs. Johanssen, it's not what-." Adam started.

Mom held up her hand. "I really don't want you to talk right now." She snapped.

"Don't talk to him like that!" I snapped back. "We are still in our clothes, Mom! Obviously nothing happened!"

"Yeah, I'm completely sure of that." Mom answered dryly. "I can't believe you would go behind my back and throw a party!"

"It wasn't even a party, Mom!" I tried to explain. "There was only a few of us over here! It wasn't like some rip-roarin shit show!"

"Watch your mouth!" Mom told me sternly. "Adam, it's time for you to go."

Adam stood up and walked towards the door. "Mrs. Johanssen, I'm-."

"Save it." Mom snapped. "If you think you van get away with this, get away with spending the night alone with my fifteen year old daughter, you're dead wrong."

"Mom, we fell asleep!" I exclaimed. "We didn't do a thing wrong!"

"Bullshit." Mom retorted. "Goodbye, Adam."

I mouthed, _I'm sorry_, to him and he gave me a small smile as he escaped from my bedroom.

"I'm going to go kick your other friends out of my house." Mom told me. "Go sit in the kitchen and wait for me."

"Mom, it's like, four-thirty." I said weakly.

"Move!"

I jumped out of bed and detoured into the bathroom while Mom stomped downstairs and yelled at Becca and Jake to get out of the house. Once I heard the door shut, I went downstairs. Mom was sitting at the table, absolutely fuming at me. I slinked into a chair across from her and started to fiddle with a napkin that was left on the table.

"How stupid are you?" was the first thing out of Mom's mouth.

I looked up at her. "Mom, I didn't do anything!" I exclaimed. "He was just about to leave, and we ended up falling asleep! Nothing happened!"

"Yeah, this time." Mom answered. "But what about next time? Or the time after that?"

"I'm not having sex with him anytime soon." I informed her.

"You better not be." Mom retorted.

"And even if I was, Mom, I'm not an idiot." I continued. "I know all about birth control and condoms. I go to public school, we learn that stuff in, like, the sixth grade."

"I'm really not comfortable with you being alone with Adam here." Mom told me.

"Well, maybe if you didn't work so much!" I exclaimed.

"Char, that has nothing-"

"Mom, that has everything to do with it!" I cried. "I don't like being alone, and I always, always am! You never cared if Becca spent the night, why do you care so much if Adam spends the night?"

"Because you aren't going to have sex with Becca."

"So if I told you I was a lesbian, Adam could spend the night?"

Mom sighed. "Charlotte, don't be ridiculous." She told me.

"You're being ridiculous." I snapped, feeling like a brat. "I am not going to have sex with Adam, I have never done anything to betray your trust, he's my first boyfriend ever, and you're treating me like I am this huge ass skank!"

"I'm treating you like you are being an irresponsible teenager, which is exactly what you're being!" Mom snapped back.

"No, I'm not!" I exclaimed. "If I was, I would have already had sex with him!"

Mom closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "I don't want to think about that." She told me. "I know I have to punish you."

"For what?" I yelped. "For wanting company while you are off at your stupid job, which is obviously more important that your only daughter!"

"Just go back to bed." Mom told me. "We'll deal with this later."

"Can't wait." I snapped, pushing my chair back with more force than needed and stomped back up to my room. I saw my phone flashing in the dark room, so I grabbed it and opened it up.

_r u ok?ur mom looked like she was ready to kill u! im sorry babe._

I texted him back and asked him to call me. A few moments later, I felt the vibrations of his phone call. I flipped my phone open and pressed talk.

"Hi." I said quietly.

"Hey." Adam answered. "You okay?"

I sighed. "Yeah, I guess." I replied. "My mom just totally freaked on me and called me an irresponsible, stupid girl, even though I tried to explain to her that nothing happened."

"My mom freaked on me too, when she heard me come in." Adam told me. "I don't really know why, Jordan stays at Tiffany's house constantly. But she was not impressed by me at all."

I groaned. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Adam answered.

"It just sucks." I said. "Getting in shit for no reason. We didn't do anything. Mom seems more concerned about what I did do than what I didn't do. Yeah, okay, you spent the night... whoops. But we didn't have sex. She can't seem to see the good things I do, only the bad stuff. And not just this. Everything in general. School, grades, all that stuff... Nothing is ever good enough for her."

"I'm sorry you have to go though that." Adam told me. "I wish there was something I could do."

"Just listening to me bitch and moan is enough." I said with a laugh. "I better let you go, though. I don't want either one of us to get in shit again tonight."

"Okay hon." Adam replied. "Well, I'll call you in the morning, and hopefully neither one of us is in jail."

"Here's hoping." I said, snickering. "Okay, I'll talk to you soon."

"Night."

"Night."

I hung up the phone and tried to get comfortable in bed. After a minute, I realized I was still wearing jeans, so I kicked them off and tried again to get comfortable. I was so mad at my mom for being so uptight about everything. She didn't even give Adam the chance to redeem himself, and now, here I was, getting in crap for sleeping with someone when I didn't even sleep with them! I might as well have slept with him, I was already getting treated like I did!

I slept the next morning until about 8:30, then got woken up by my phone. I rolled over and glanced at the Caller ID. It was Becca.

"Hey friend." I said sleepily into the phone.

"Your mother is friggin nuts." Becca replied. "She went completely ape on us last night, we weren't even on the same couch!"

"Oh, you don't know half of it." I groaned. "She flipped on Adam and I! We didn't even do anything! So we fell asleep... Gasp and egad!"

"Same here." Becca stifled a yawn. "Nothing really happened. Jake and I are going to hang out today though."

"I love how you say that 'nothing happened but we're hanging out today' so casually, like it's not a big deal." I said with a laugh.

"Is it?"

"I think it is." I said. "You still _like _him."

Becca sighed. "I feel bad about Jeff though."

"Why the hell would you feel bad about that?" I demanded. "He's a jerk, Becca, and all he cared about was getting laid."

"He's cute though."

"He's a jerk."

"I know." Becca was quiet, then started to laugh. "Man, you were so funny last night, trying to get Jake inside to help you with your math!"

I started to laugh. "Man, he's a great guy but he is kind of dense!"

"He really had no clue what the hell was going on!"

"Becca, no one knew what the hell was going on!" I answered. "What did Jeff say?"

"Not much." Becca replied. "Just started going off about how weird Jake was, and I acted sick so I could rush into the house. He didn't seem to care that I didn't feel well."

"That's probably because he doesn't care about shit." I told her. "Not to sound totally harsh, but Jeff is all about Jeff. That's it. Maybe booze and getting laid, but nothing is as important as Jeff."

"Yeah." Becca slowly agreed. "I know you're right."

I stretched out in bed. "So, what are you and Jake doing today?" I asked her. "Makin' babies?"

"Nah, just practicing." Becca joked. "Not really though. I think we are going for lunch. He said he'd call me later."

"Did he say anything about the whole Haley thing?" I asked.

"Yeah, he said it was the dumbest thing he's ever done." Becca told me. "I agreed."

"Well, I hope you can get though it." I said. "I better go, though, see if I can shower and have breakfast without the Wrath of Peggy coming for me."

Becca laughed. "Good luck with that." She teased.

"Yeah, I'll need it." I answered dryly. "Call me after your big date!"

"Will do. See you later." Becca answered, hanging up.

I hung up and threw my covers off my bed. I figured Mom would still be sleeping, after working a twelve hour shift and getting home at four AM but sometimes she is crazy and runs off virtually no sleep. Maybe that's why she is so crazy.

I locked myself in the bathroom and turned the shower on. After I was done, I walked back to my room. That's when I noticed the note on my door.

_Don't think you are leaving this house without cleaning up your mess first. After you're done, we are going to have a little talk. _

_Mom_

"Oh, fuck." I groaned. So much for spending a Saturday enjoying myself.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

I had just finished scraping the charcol cookies into the garbage when I heard a knock on the door. I wiped my crumbs off my hands and stepped down into the foyer. I pulled open the door and made a face.

"You are such a stupid girl!"

"What are you doing here?"

Vanessa shook her head and laughed. "Do you know that my parents are pretty much forbidding Adam from seeing you?" She asked, laughing.

I felt the blood drain from my face. "Why?"

"Because he is forcing you to have sex, silly!" Vanessa pushed past me and walked up the stairs to the kitchen.

What?

I followed Vanessa up the stairs. "What are you talking about?" I asked her, sitting down at the table. My legs felt like jelly and I couldn't stand anymore.

Vanessa drummed her fingernails on the top of the table. "My parent's asked me if I knew what was going on with you guys." She replied. "They weren't very impressed when Adam came in at nearly five am. They asked me if I knew what was going on. I might have told them a white lie."

"What did you say?" I asked, barely able to get the words out. This bitch was sitting in my house, telling me that she lied about me, and is expecting not to get pummeled?

Vanessa grinned, this weird, evil grin, and raised her eyebrows at me. "Well, when one stays at ones house until five in the morning, ones might assume that one and one are hooking up. So one might have told ones parents that one and one were definitely sleeping together. And one might have also added that one overheard one talking to some other one, and said that someone was making one have sex, even though one didn't really want to!"

"Cut this 'one' shit, Vanessa!" I snapped. "Are you seriously telling me that you told your parents that Adam was forcing me to have sex with him?"

"Yep." Vanessa replied. "Because that's what you told Haley."

"I didn't tell Haley shit!" I cried.

"Oh really?" Vanessa looked smug. "Cause it's kinda your word against ours."

I felt hopeless and angry. How could Vanessa be such an evil bitch? And in my own home too!

"However." Vanessa continued. "I could be willing to tell my parents that it's not true. There's a catch though."

"Of course there is." I muttered.

"Stop seeing my brother and I'll quit being a bitch." Vanessa said, so simply, as if that was the end to all of life's problems.

I glanced up at her. "Do you think I'm a fucking idiot?" I snapped. "Do you really think I am going to let you bully me into not seeing your brother anymore? Quit acting like a fucking selfish bitch and live your own life! You spend way too much time and energy butting into other people's lives. Grow the hell up!"

Vanessa stood up. "Fine." She said, lips pursed. "Have it your way."

She stood up, kicking her chair back against the wall. She stomped to the front door and pulled it open.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." She said spitefully, before walking out and slamming the door behind her.

I set my head in my arms on the table and groaned. Why did this relationship have to be so hard? I liked Adam, he liked me, that's all that should matter. Vanessa shouldn't matter. Haley shouldn't matter. Haley. That bitch. I knew meeting with her was a mistake.

I pushed back my chair and ran upstairs. I had to call Adam. I had to find out what Vanessa told his parents.

I grabbed my phone off my desk and flipped it open. I pressed Adam's button and sat down in my desk chair. After it rang a few times, he picked up. Or at least I thought he did. It stopped ringing, but it was quiet on the other end.

"Hello?" I tried.

"What?" It was Adam's voice, and he sounded pissed off.

"Um... hi?"

"What do you want, Charlotte?" I think that was the first time he called me by my full first name. I felt a nervous knot brewing in the pit of my stomach.

"Are you mad at me?" I asked nervously.

Adam sighed. "No, you can tell everyone, including fucking _Haley_, lies about you and I, but no, that's okay, I'm not mad at all!"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, knowing full well that somehow, he believed what Vanessa told him.

"You told Haley that I was pressuring you to have sex?" Adam exclaimed. "Come on, Char, that's pretty fucking ignorant, don't you think?"

I could feel the tears starting to well up. "I never told her anything like that!" I protested. "I swear, I wouldn't ever do that!"

"I really don't know if I can believe you." Adam told me.

"Why?" I demanded. "Cause I've lied to you so many times before? Oh, wait, I haven't! Maybe you should look at your sources!"

"My sister swore she wasn't lying about this." Adam told me quietly.

"Well, maybe Haley was!" I practically shouted. "You yourself told me it was a bad idea to meet with her-,"

"Yeah, and you did anyway!" Adam shot back. He was quiet for a minute, then I heard him take a deep breath. "Char... I like you a lot. I really do. But this is getting to be too much."

"It's not my fault, or your fault!" I told him. "It's Vanessa's!"

"I know." Adam answered. "Fuck, Char, I don't know. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to believe."

"Don't end this because of your sister." I pleaded. "I care about you so much, and I know we have something good going, and I don't want her to win!"

"I just really don't know what to do." Adam said again. "I don't want to end this, but I'm not really seeing any other alternative.... Look, I'd better go. I need to think some things over."

"Kay." I said, barely audible.

"I'll call you later."

"Kay."

"Bye."

"Bye." I said, hanging up the phone. My tears finally spilled over. I pulled my knees up to my chest and started bawling. Why would one person want to spend so much energy on making another persons life hell? I still found it so hard to believe that I once considered Vanessa and Haley two of my best friends.

I wiped my eyes and turned on my computer. After the start up loaded, I logged onto my Facebook account. There was one person I knew I could talk to about this, someone who has dealt with their fair share of bitches, and someone who could maybe get though to Vanessa, albeit though a third party. I clicked on her name and then clicked on 'send a message'.

_Hi Stacey:_

_How are you? How are the kids? I bet they're getting excited for Halloween! What are they going as?_

_Stace... I need help. Vanessa has hit a new low. She told her parents that Adam is forcing me to have sex with him! They believe her (cause we all know Vanessa is a friggin pricess), and Adam isn't sure who he believes! He says that Haley told Vanessa that, said that I told her when me and her went for coffee the other day. I friggin KNEW it was a bad idea, but I went anyway. I don't know what to do, or how to deal with her. I like Adam sooooooo much, and I don't want this stupid bitch to ruin it. _

_What would you do?_

_Love you much_

_-Me_

I hit send, then clicked around a bit more. Carolyn had posted a few new pictures from last night, so I stole one of Adam and I to make my profile picture. Vanessa could kiss my ass.

"Charlotte, what are you doing?" I looked up and saw my mom in the doorway.

I hit the X and stood up. "I was just sending Stacey an email." I told her.

"Are you done cleaning up?"

I walked past her. "Almost." I answered, walking down the stairs.

"Well, get on it!" Mom exclaimed. "We need to have a talk still."

I sighed as I started tossing empty beer cans into a bag. "Mom, please." I pleaded. "You know me, you know I'm not a stupid girl. I've had to deal with enough already this morning. Can we just not have this talk? I know what you're going to say, I'm not having sex, Adam won't spend the night here. He probably won't even be here much anymore, considering he wants to break up with me!"

"He does?" Mom looked shocked, then sympathetic. "Why?"

"Like you care." I spat, feeling horrible for snapping at my mother. I grabbed the bag of empties and stormed into the basement, tossing them in the recycling bin. I stomped back up the stairs, completely ignoring my mother who was still in the kitchen, and continued up to my room. I logged onto Facebook again, hoping Stacey answered me already, knowing that she is a bit of a Facebook-aholic.

Sure enough, I had a reply from her already. I clicked on my inbox and read.

_hi kiddo- im sooooooo sorry youre dealing with all this bullshit from vanessa. i can talk to mal about it if you want. i know she has a way of dealing with vanessa that no one else really does. let me know if you want me to. other than that... all i can really say is just hold your head up high and dont let her get to you. and if adam is stupid enough to let his sister dictate who he dates- well then you dont want him anyway!_

_it sounds like you need a break away from the 'brook. ethan has a business meeting in philly this coming up weekend. do you want to come keep me company while he is gone? i would pay for your train ticket and everything- you wouldnt have to worry about a thing! it would be a great chance to catch up and relax! i can talk to your mom for you too if you want! let me know!!!!!_

_love you!_

_me_

A weekend in New York with Stacey? I was suddenly elated! She was right, I needed to get away and clear my head a bit. Before I replied, I would talk to my mom first. I was hoping that my sass-bag remarkes wouldn't have her automatically tell me no.

"Mom?" I asked, coming down the stairs. She was sitting at the table with a coffee and the newspaper. She looked up when I called her.

"Yeah?" She asked, setting her cup down.

I sat down beside her and took a deep breath. "Before you say no right away, just hear me out, okay?"

"Okay." Mom answered, her face looking suspicious.

"Stacey invited me to come stay with her for the weekend." I told her. "She thinks I need to get away from here for a couple days, and I think so too. Please? She said she would pay for my train ticket too. Please? _Please_?"

Mom was quiet for a minute. Then she said. "I don't think so, Charlotte."

"Why not?" I demanded. "It's _Stacey_! You let her babysit me! She's a mom! She's trustworthy!"

"I trust Stacey." Mom told me. "It's you that I am having issues with right now. You haven't exactly been proving yourself lately."

"Lately?" I scoffed. "One night, Mom, one stupid night! That's the only so-called bad thing I have done my entire life! I have never, ever done anything to not have you trust me! I have never skipped school, never done drugs, never smoked a cigarette-."

"I caught you in bed with your boyfriend, whom, I might add, has only been your boyfriend for a week." Mom interrupted. "What would have happened if I hadn't walked in?"

"Umm, we would have kept _sleeping_!" I exclaimed. "This is so ridiculous, Mom! Why do you insist on being so mad at me for something I didn't even do!?"

"Because you could have done something wrong." Mom answered. "And I don't want anything to happen."

"I _could _have had sex." I told her. "I _could _have done drugs with Haley and Vanessa. I _could _have cut school and went to Stamford with Becca. I _could _have slacked off and not give a crap about school and my grades. But the point is, I_ didn't_. Doesn't that count for anything?"

"Of course it does." Mom told me. "But it scares me, Char. You're growing up so fast, and... I don't want you to make a bad decision."

"Don't you know me at all?" I protested. "I'm not a bad decision kind of girl! And even if I did make a bad decision, it's mine to make. I'm sure if I asked Grandma, she'd tell me a few 'bad decisions' _you _made when you were in high school."

Mom's face reddened slightly. "Until you turn eighteen, your decisions are my decisions. End of story."

I glared at my mother, the most unreasonable woman I knew, I stood up. "Fine, Mother." I snapped. "Have fun living _my _life."

Rather than going up to my room, I grabbed my sweater and headed out the front door, being sure to slam it behind me. I cut across the yard and up the steps of Becca's back porch. I pulled open the patio door and stuck my head inside.

"Hello?" I called.

"What are you doing here?" Becca poked her head around the doorway from the kitchen. "I was just about to call you."

I kicked my shoes off and walked into the kitchen where Becca was mixing up a salad. I sat on a stool at the island and sighed.

"Uh, oh." Becca said, turning around. "That's not a good sign." She grabbed two bowls, split her salad up, handed me a bowl and sat down. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, you mean, besides _everything_?" I muttered. I sighed again. "Vanessa came over this morning."

"Are you serious?" Becca asked. "Jeez, can't she get a life?"

I shrugged. "Apparently not." I answered. "She told me that Haley told her that I told Haley that Adam was forcing me to have sex."

"_What_?" Becca looked furious. "Are you fucking serious? Are you _serious_?"

I nodded. "Yeah." I said. "I don't know if Haley really said that or if Vanessa is just saying she did. But regardless, Adam is pissed off at me."

"What did you do?"

"Apparently told Haley." I answered with a sigh. "He doesn't know what to believe."

"What a dumbass." Becca replied. "Obviously he should believe you. He knows his sister is full of shit and completely psycho."

I nodded. "I know." I answered. "So now, he says he's not sure if we should break up or not. He says that it's getting to be too much."

"That's fucking bullshit!" Becca fumed. "If he needs to be mad at someone, it's Vanessa, not you!"

"I know." I said again. "So, I emailed Stacey, just for some advice on what to do, and she invited me to come to her place for the weekend."

"Ooh, how exciting!" Becca squealed.

"Mom said no."

"Fuck, your mom sucks." Becca sighed.

"Yeah, Stacey said she'd pay for my ticket and everything." I told her. "And, I mean, Stacey has the kids. It's not like she'd be trying to get me into clubs. We would probably just hang out at the apartment."

"Why don't you go anyway?" Becca suggested.

I nearly choked on the cucumber I was swallowing. "Or why don't you just shoot me now and save my mother the hassle?" I suggested sarcastically.

Becca laughed. "No, I'm serious!" She exclaimed. "If Stacey is paying for the ticket, I could cover for you, and you could go! Fuck your mother!"

I was quiet for a minute. My mother already thought I was a 'bad kid', and I haven't even done anything bad. If I was going to get in shit for it, I might as well do it. But still...

"I don't know, Becca." I said slowly. "I mean, my mom would kill me. Maim me. Slaughter me. I would be in prison the rest of my life."

"Yeah, maybe." Becca said. "But at least you'd get a fun weekend! It would be like your last supper."

"Not funny, cause it really would be." I told her.

"Or maybe it would prove a point to your mother." Becca added.

I snorted. "Yeah, right." I laughed. "My mother would never see it that way. She is as stubborn as they come."

"I still think you should go." Becca commented. "She'll get over it."

I laughed. "You've never met my mother, have you?" I asked. "Anyway, I'll think it over. I might get mad enough at her this week and go."

"You better." Becca teased.

"When are you meeting Jake?" I asked.

Becca glanced at the clock. "He's picking me up in half an hour." She answered. "Yikes, I'm kind of nervous. Isn't it funny, in a not so funny way, that Haley has messed or is messing with both of our relationships?"

"Hilarious." I answered dryly. "I'm going to leave you to get ready then. I don't think you need to be nervous. I mean, it's Jake."

"Yeah, but I don't know what to expect." Becca answered, as we walked into the family room.

"If you did, there would be no point in going." I reminded her.

Becca shrugged. "True." She agreed. "Okay, I'll call you later. And try not to worry about Adam. I don't think he is going to break up with you."

"I'm definitely not going down without a fight, that's for sure." I said, pulling the door open. "Have fun with Jakey!"

"Oh, I will." Becca joked. "Bye dearie."

"Bye." I answered, shutting the door behind me. I was still mad at my mom, and I really didn't want to go home, but I really had nothing else to do, so I reluctantly walked back across the yard and into my house. I heard the shower running upstairs, so I quickly hurried up to my room and shut the door. My phone was flashing, so I opened it up to see who had tried to call me. It was Adam. I immediately felt nervous and sick, but I called him back anyway.

"Hey." He answered after a ring or two.

"Hi." I answered back, not sure what to expect.

"You busy right now?"

I shook my head, even though he couldn't see me. "No, I'm at home."

"Want to go for a drive?" Adam asked me.

"Okay." I agreed.

"Can I come pick you up in about... fifteen minutes?"

"Yeah, I'll be here." I replied.

"Okay, see you in a bit."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

I hung up and flopped onto my bed. Going for a drive must be a good thing! Adam must have talked to his sister and realized that she was, yet again, lying. I really hoped that this was the end of it, the end of Vanessa harassing us.

I paced back and forth in my room, waiting impatiently for Adam to ring the doorbell. Finally, exactly fifteen minutes later, I heard the chime from the doorbell. I grabbed my purse, ran down the stairs and pulled open the door. Adam was standing on the front stoop, and he grinned at me when he saw me.

"Hey." He said. "Ready?"

"Yep." I answered, walking with him towards his truck. He opened my door for me and I climbed in. Adam climbed in his side and started his truck up. He backed out of my driveway and drove down the opposite direction of town. We hadn't even been driving for two minutes when Adam cleared his throat and glanced at me.

"Char?" He began. "We need to talk."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Talk? Oh, my God, _talk_? Talking was never good. Not when it was brought up like that. I swallowed hard and looked at Adam. He glanced at me, and pulled into an empty parking lot.

"What... what do you want to talk about?" I stammered, knowing full well what was coming. But... maybe I was wrong. Maybe he wanted to talk about something more serious. Oh, my God, maybe he wanted to talk about sex! Was I going to lose my virginity to Adam in the cab of his rusty old Dodge?

Adam sighed and ran his hand though his hair. "I don't know, Char." He answered. "I mean, like I said, I like you a lot. But I can't handle this constant stress brought on by my sister."

No. We were definitely not having sex today. I felt my stomach do flip flops.

"So go yell at her, make her stop!" I pleaded. "Don't end this because of her!"

"I can't deal with this anymore!" Adam exclaimed. "I have to live with her, it's really fucking irritating having her make these stupid snide comments all the time!"

"So tell your parents!" I begged. "Make them do something!"

"They can't do anything about her." Adam sighed. "Charlotte... I just really don't see any other option. I mean, I'm a senior, I need to keep my grades up this year, and the extra stress from my sister is not going to help."

"She'll get over it." I promised. "She will, I know she will! She'll get sick of tormenting us eventually."

Adam didn't answer me, and I felt the tears building up. _Please don't, please don't_, I silently pleaded with him. I couldn't believe this was happening. I couldn't believe Vanessa was going to actually be the cause of me losing Adam. I know we just started dating, and maybe it was me being a naive fifteen year old girl, but I really thought we had a future. I didn't want it to end like this, in the parking lot of a construction site. I didn't want it to end, period.

"I just can't, Char." He said quietly. "I'm really sorry."

I nodded, unable to say anything. I really couldn't believe this was over.

I put my hand on the door handle and opened it.

"Where are you going?" Adam asked me as I climbed out.

"Home." I managed to crack out.

Adam frowned. "Don't you want to say anything?" He asked me.

"Like what?" I asked with a sniffle. "You pretty much said everything pretty clear. You don't want to be with me!"

"Char, I do!" Adam argued. "I really, really do. It's just with Vanessa-."

"I get it." I interrupted. "I just want to go home."

"Well, let me drive you at least."

I vigorously shook my head. "No." I answered. "I'd rather walk."

"Char, I feel really bad about this." Adam said. "I don't want you to think I am an asshole."

"I don't." I answered. "I'll see you." I added, shutting the truck door. I stuck my hands in my jacket pocket and walked across the parking lot. I waited until I was out of sight before I broke down. I felt like I was going to throw up. The tears just kept pouring out and I was having a hard time catching my breath.

I leaned against a tree with my back to the road. I heard Adam's truck drive off, and my sobs got stronger. He left. He wasn't coming to find me, or talk to me anymore. He wasn't changing his mind. He was gone, and I was alone. Again.

I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket, so I pulled it out. Becca was calling me. I took a shaky breath and flipped it open.

She didn't wait for me to say hi. "Jake and I are dating again!" She exclaimed. "He asked me to be his girlfriend again! And I looked on Facebook, and Corrie and Shea are dating now too! Must have been something in the water this weekend, huh?"

"Adam broke up with me." I hiccupped.

"What?" Becca gasped. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah." I said quietly.

"Are you at home?"

"No, I'm just down the road, across from CJ Construction." I answered. I started to cry again. "He said he.... couldn't.... handle Vanessa... harassing us!"

"Are you fucking shitting with me?" Becca exclaimed. "He gave up on you because of his fucking sister? Jesus, I thought Adam had way more balls than that! That's just ridiculous!"

I couldn't talk, I just kept on crying. "I thought... he did... too!" I sobbed. "She fucking ruined my life!"

"She's a fucking bitch is what she is." Becca answered. "A selfish, greedy, two-face cunt!"

"What am I gonna do?" I moaned. "I can't face Vanessa at school now. Or Adam. I can't share a school with them now!"

"Yes, you can." Becca soothed. "You have me, you have Corrie and Carolyn... we are all here for you and not going anywhere!"

"Except Corrie is dating Shea now, and oh, guess who Shea's best friend is?" I answered. "Don't think I'll be seeing much of her."

"Yes, you will!" Becca insisted. "Corrie is not one of those girls who just ditches everyone cause she has a boyfriend. And neither am I! You won't be alone, I promise."

"I really wish my mom would have let me go to New York." I told Becca. "I really could use that trip now."

"Well, now it's a different story." Becca answered. "Now you just got dumped, now you have to get away."

"We'll see." I said quietly. I stood up and brushed the dirt off my jeans. I turned around and started walking back towards my house.

"Char, I promise." Becca assured me. "If Adam honestly dumped you because of his sister, then you don't want him!"

"You sound like Stacey." I grumbled. "And I do want him!"

I glanced up the road, and started to cry again when I saw my best friend walking down the road towards me. I closed my phone and put it back in my pocket. I stood on the side of the road, crying and waiting for Becca to get to me. She jogged towards me and pulled me into a big hug. I wrapped my arms around her and cried, covering her sweater in my tears and mascara.

We stood there on the side of the road for what seemed like forever. Becca let me cry and stoked my hair. I hugged her tight and kept on bawling. She was such a good friend, my best friend, and we didn't have to talk. Becca knew I didn't want to talk. She just let me cry.

I pulled away from Becca and wiped my eyes. "I think I need to go home." I told her, sniffling. "My mom should still be home."

"You're actually going to talk to your mom about this?" Becca asked incredulously.

I shrugged. I mean, sure, I don't have the perfect relationship with my perfect mom like Becca does, but she is still my mom, and I hoped that when I needed her, she would be there to comfort me and not into giving me advice that I don't want to listen to.

"Okay." Becca answered. "Come on, then."

Becca draped her arm around me as we walked up the road. We were both silent for a few steps until I turned to her.

"I'm happy for you and Jake." I told her. "Sorry to rain on your parade."

"Char, seriously, you are having a crisis, and I'm here for you!" Becca exclaimed. Then she grinned. "But I am really happy too. I think this time, it will be different. We both have learned not to trust a thing that comes out of those bitches mouths."

"Heh." I said dryly. "Tell that to Adam, will you?"

"I will say something to him, if you want." Becca told me.

I shook my head. "No." I answered. "He doesn't want me, I know that much. That's all I need to know."

Becca rubbed my back. "I'm sorry." She said softly. "I know how much you liked him."

I nodded, feeling the tears well up again. I bit my lip to keep from crying, but the tears still fell. Becca squeezed my shoulder as we approached my driveway.

"Do you think you'll come to school on Monday?" Becca asked me. "My mom is going to Stamford for an appointment, I can skip with you, if you want?"

"I think I'll go." I answered. "Otherwise I'll just sit at home and cry."

"That's okay though." Becca assured me. "You let me know. I'm here for you, okay?"

I smiled and hugged Becca. "I love you, bestie." I told her.

Becca hugged me back. "I love you too." She answered. "You call me if you need to talk, okay?"

I nodded. "Thanks." I said, pulling away. "Bye, Beck." I said, walking up my driveway. My mom's car was still parked, so I went inside and called for her.

"Mom?"

"In here!"

I walked though the kitchen and into the living room. Mom was sitting on the couch, reading a magazine. She glanced up at me, then took a double take when she saw my red eyes.

"Char, honey, what's the matter?" She asked, putting down her magazine.

My lip started to quiver. "Adam... Adam dumped me!" I said as I started to cry.

"Oh, honey!" Mom cooed. She took my hand and pulled me onto the couch beside her. I cuddled up next to her and cried. I hadn't sat with my mom like this in a long time, and it felt nice. It felt like the way a mother and daughter should be. Not distant and practically strangers like we usually were.

She didn't try to offer me advice. She didn't try to say that it would be better for my grades and my future if I didn't have a boyfriend. Instead, she said something that shocked me.

"It wasn't because of me yelling at you guys, was it?" Mom asked. I glanced up at her and she looked worried.

"No, Mom." I said, surprised. "It was actually... because of Vanessa."

"Oh, Jesus Christ." Mom muttered. My eyes widened. That phrase has been uttered out of my mouth a few times in front of my mother, and she always snapped at me for it. Never in my life have I heard her say it.

"I really can't believe that girl." Mom continued. "What did he say?"

"He said she is making it too hard for us to be together." I answered.

"Did he tell his parents?"

"They can't do anything, he said."

Mom shook her head. "That is a load of crap." She declared. "I have half a mind to call up Dee and tell her-."

"You can't!" I interrupted. "Mom, she already makes my life hell!"

"But this is ridiculous." Mom argued. "She can't get away with being such a henious bitch all the time."

I shrugged. "Well, she is Queen Vanessa Pike." I answered.

"I guess that's what they get when they let their kids get away with whatever they want." Mom answered. "I mean, letting Mallory go away to boarding school at age eleven? Claire ran around naked for years, and none of them ever had any rules. It's a shock that not more of their kids are screwed up."

I nodded. I didn't necessarily think the Pike's were screwed up. Well, Vanessa's a bitch and Byron is scary as hell... and Adam obviously has no brain. But I liked their household and their family and how well they- pretty much- got along with everyone. Kind of amazing how a family of ten is closer than a family of three, plus Carrot.

"Maybe." Mom mused. "Maybe this weekend would be a good time to go and visit Stacey. Maybe I was a little too quick to say no earlier. I think it would be good for you to go, get away for a couple days, and just have some fun." A worried look suddenly crossed Mom's face. "As long as Stacey is not going to drag you out to some club!"

I laughed. "Mom, Stacey isn't even twenty one yet, and she has two kids." I answered. "We'll probably be in bed by ten."

"Okay." Mom answered. She gave me a small smile. "Char, I know you're a smart kid. I know you know better than to do anything stupid. But, it's my job as a mother to worry about you, and I want you to understand why I got so upset. But... I may have over-reacted a bit. And, maybe you're right. If I had been here, I wouldn't have gotten mad at you in the first place."

My eyes widened a bit. My mom must have been on drugs. I couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth.

"Mom... it's okay." I assured her.

"No, it's not." Mom argued with me. "We don't spend nearly enough time together. I have been neglecting you, I know I have. I'm spending all my time taking care of other people and not my own daughter."

"I know your job is important to you, Mom." I told her. "But I wish we could spend more time together. I wish you could be home more. I hate coming home to a cold, empty house."

"I know." Mom replied, stroking my hair. "I'll see what I can do, okay?"

I smiled. "Really?"

Mom nodded. "Really." She answered. "Now, how about if we go out for dinner tonight, for some much needed mother-daughter time? Unless," she added. "You're not feeling up to it. You've had a pretty crappy day."

I thought for a minute. I really didn't know when this opportunity would come up again. Sure, my mom said she would try to cut back at work, but I would believe it when it happened.

"Okay." I finally agreed. "That could be fun."

Mom smiled brightly. "Good!" She exclaimed. "We can go any place you'd like, any place at all!"

"Olive Garden?" I asked.

"My favourite." Mom answered with a smile.

I smiled back. This would be a nice change from frozen dinners eaten alone!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A few hours later, Mom and I were in the car, heading downtown for dinner. We had both dressed up nicely, Mom was in a pair of pinstripe slacks with a black shirt and rose coloured blazer. I was wearing a black, stretchy dress with cap sleeves and a black knitted sweater. We looked pretty snazzy, if I do say so myself! Snazzy for a small town, anyway.

We pulled into the parking lot and walked into the restaurant. The delicious smell of pasta and fresh breadsticks nearly knocked me out, I was so starving! Mom and I only had to wait a minute before we were seated. As soon as the waiter left with our drink order, i grabbed two breadsticks and practically inhaled them.

"Are you feeling better?" Mom asked me, grabbing a breadstick of her own.

I shrugged. "I guess." I answered. "Distraction is good. Monday will be crappy, though, I think."

"You know, when I was fifteen or sixteen, I had the hunkiest boyfriend ever." Mom told me with a small laugh. My ears perked up. My mom never told me stories about when she was my age. Anything I knew was from my Auntie Nell telling me, but she lived in Europe, so I never even got to talk to her that much.

"His name was Ricky." Mom continued. "Oh, he was cute! He looked just life Leif Garrett-"

"Who?" I asked with a quizzical loook on my face.

Mom laughed. "He was the heartthrob of my time." Mom answered. "Anyway, I was a lot like you in school. Shy, studious... but when Ricky asked me to go on a date with him, I was on cloud nine! We dated for a month or two, and then he broke up with me. I was devestated, oh, I thought I would never find another! But then, I found your dad, and the rest is history. And-" She added. "I had my friend. You, my dear, have some great friends. Yes, friends who got drunk at my house, but friends nonetheless. Don't forget that."

I smiled, in spite of feeling upset that Mom was telling that she didn't marry her high school stud. I'd probably end up with some nerd like Buddy Barrett or James Hobart. Sigh. But I nodded.

"I don have some pretty awesome friends." I agreed. "Especially Becca. I don't know what I would do without her."

"Aren't you glad I made you go over to her house and introduce yourself when she moved in?" Mom gently teased.

I laughed. "I think it was actually that awesome bubble maker she had that made me stay!"

Mom laughed and I settled back into my chair, enjoying my mom's company and our one on one time. It was definitely well overdue. I really hoped that she was serious about trying to cut back time at work. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to be able to have dinner out with my mom more than once in a hundred years, but I really hoped I would be able to find out.

Mom and I sat in the Olive Garden for a couple hours. We each had a delicious pasta dish and desert- I had tiramisu and Mom had torta di chocolate, which is a little chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and strawberries. I think it was the lowest calorie desert on the menu. I didn't care about that, I would have had two deserts if I had more room in my stomach!

"Well, my dear." Mom said, stretching in her chair. "Should we head back home? Maybe pop in an old movie?"

"Sounds good." I agreed, standing up. "But I have to warn you, I might fall asleep on the couch!"

"Ditto." Mom said with a laugh. She handed me the car keys. "Why don't you go start the car and I'll go pay?"

"Okay." I agreed. I followed Mom to the front door, and went outside while she waited to pay. I unlocked the car and got in. Now that I was away from Mom, I pulled out my phone (she thinks it is so rude to check your phone at the dinner table). I was hoping, wishful thinking, maybe, that I had a text message or phone call from Adam. I did have a text. My heart skipped a beat as I opened it up. I felt slightly disappointed when I saw it was from Corrie.

_hey u! fuck i heard about you and adam! that is so awful! im really sorry char :( i can talk to him if you want, find out what the hell is going on in that head of his! luv ya!_

I hit reply and quickly moved my thumbs across the keypad.

_hey corrie... no i dont want you to say anything to him. thanks tho. whats done is done. if he is going to believe his liar of a sister over me, then so be it. i heard about you and shea tho. im really happy for you :) i think he has liked you for a long time! ttys :)_

I closed my phone and frowned. I wasn't really sure what I was feeling. Part of me did want Corrie, or Becca, to talk to Adam, to find out what he really was thinking. But the other part of me didn't. What if he was just using the whole Vanessa thing as an excuse? What if he really wasn't attracted to me, or found me annoying or something? I really would rather not know it, if that was the case. Ignorance is bliss, as they say.

So, instead, I went home with my mother, trying not to think about Adam, and fell asleep on the couch halfway though Forrest Gump. Given the circumstances, it was a pretty decent way to spend a Saturday night.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Sunday came and went. I moped around the house, watched a movie with Becca and did some homework. I was really dreading Monday. I mean, _really _dreading it. Stoneybrook High is not very big, but I hoped I would be able to avoid Adam for as long as possible... like, say, until June. I knew the week would drag, too, because Mom called Stacey and told her I would be able to come visit for the weekend! Mom really must have been on glue, because she asked Stacey if it would be okay if I came out on _Thursday_, rather than Friday! Mom made up some lame excuse, saying the Friday afternoon train is so crazy busy, and she gets nervous for me, but really, I think she just felt bad for me and wanted me to have a good time. I really couldn't wait to go!

On Monday, I dragged my still-sleepy butt out of bed. What a change this Monday was from last Monday. Last Monday was my first day at school as his girlfriend, and this Monday, I couldn't care less about what I wore to school. I threw on a faded pair of jeans, a dark pink Roxy hoodie that said "Dig This Life" in the corner, even though I wasn't really digging this life right now. I still couldn't believe that Adam and I had dated and then broken up in a week. It seemed so silly to me, on one hand, but then so sad on the other.

I went into the bathroom and combed my hair. It wasn't cooperting with me at all, so, with a sigh, I just threw it up into a ponytail, dabbed some makeup on my face and headed downstairs. To my surprise, Becca was already sitting at the kitchen table, munching on a Pop Tart.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her, opening up the bread box and shoving two pieces into the toaster.

"Hello to you, too." Becca teased. "I decided to come over and keep you company this morning!"

"Thanks, Beck." I said with a smile. I glanced at the clock. "I really didn't give myself much time to chill this morning, did I?"

Becca shook her head. "No, Ma'am." She said with a laugh. "We pretty much have to go... now."

"Let me make my toast first." I told her. "Jeez, woman!"

"Do you think you'll run into Adam today?" Becca asked as my toast popped up.

"I don't know." I answered, slathering some peanut butter on my toast. "I'm going to try really hard and not see him. I don't want to cry at school."

Becca stood up and put her plate in the sink, then patted my back. "I don't want you to, either." She answered. "What are you gonna say to Haley when you see her in class?"

"Nothing." I replied flatly. "I have nothing to say to her."

Becca pursed her lips as I grabbed my backpack and headed towards the front door. "Do you think she didn't have anything to do with it?" She asked me, following me out the door.

"Are you actually defending Haley Braddock?" I asked with a small snicker. "Just cause you're back with Jake now, doesn't mean you can forget all the crap she pulled."

"You know that she only did that cause of Vanessa, Tiffany and Kerry." Becca told me. "I'm definitely not the president of the Haley Braddock Fan Club, but I do know that she is pretty stupid, and a follower, and probably didn't come up with shit on her own."

I shrugged. I didn't really care. I was going to believe that Haley and Vanessa both had a part in this breakup. Yes, Vanessa had a bigger part, but Haley told her lies about me. Me and her had a really good visit, and it really made me mad at myself that I trusted her. I should have known it was a bad idea.

Becca and I made it to school with not a lot of time to spare. We entered in the entrance furthest away from the senior's hallway, just in case, and I quickly scurried up to my locker to organize my books for the day. I grabbed my math books just as the warning bell rang, and hurried down to class.

Math dragged and dragged and dragged. Everytime I glanced at the clock, I swore it was going backwards. I sighed and tapped my pencil against my textbook, thinking a problem over in my head.

"Char, what's the answer to number three?" Jackie Rodowsky hissed at me. "I can't figure it out!"

"Did you even try, Jackie?" I whispered back.

Jackie shrugged. "Yeah."

"Use the formula." I told him.

"Char! Just... what's the answer?" Jackie pleaded.

I glanced up at Mr. Ross, who was on the other side of the room, helping someone else. I glanced back at Jackie and quickly whispered. "Seven."

"Seven?" Jackie looked confused. "How the hell do you get seven? I don't have seven!"

Jackie started erasing his work and nearly tore a whole in his paper. I rolled my eyes. Jackie had been like this since the beginning of time. You know the one kid every class has who eats glue? Meet Jackie, the Glue Connoisseur of Stoneybrook.

"Hey, so... I heard Adam dumped you." Jackie whispered.

"I know." I whispered back.

"Why?"

"Vanessa."

"She's such a bitch." Jackie said, a little too loudly. Mr. Ross shot a glance at him. I quickly ducked my head and continued working. Jackie continued talking to me.

"So, do you want to go out sometime then?" Jackie asked.

I glared at him. "Shut up, Jackie!" I hissed.

Jackie smirked. "I'll take that as a maybe." He joked, turning back to his work. I heard him mutter incredulously, "_Seven_?", under his breath, as he began erasing yet another equation.

I rolled my eyes again and kept working. Not long after, the bell rang, so I gathered up my books and started to head out the door.

"So, when are you gonna kick Vanessa's ass?" I turned around and saw Jackie behind me. "I don't want to miss out on a wicked chick fight."

"Who says I'm fighting her?" I snapped.

"I think you should." Jackie declared. "She's a bitch. No one really likes her anymore."

"Really?" I asked. I assumed it was true, but hearing it from Jackie made it more true.

He nodded. "Yeah, especially the guys." He told me. "She is just a drama-loving cow, and it's fucking annoying."

"Well, Adam obviously doesn't think so." I said bitterly.

Jackie laughed. "Trust me, he has been getting an earful."

"From who?"

"My brother, me, his brother... even Jeff thinks he is being a dumbass for breaking up with you." Jackie told me. "Believe it or not, Char, you're kind of a catch!"

I pondered that thought for a second as we reached the stairs. "I'll see you." I told Jackie, turning up the stairs.

Me, a catch? I found that part very hard to believe. If I was such a catch, why was Adam the only guy who was seriously ever interested in me? And why did he break up with me? I thought about that as I walked into English... once my favourite class, now dreadful, because of Haley.

She was already sitting in her desk, doodling on the cover of her notebook. She glanced up and smiled sympathetically at me as I sat down.

"Hey." She said. "I heard about you and Adam."

"I bet you did." I said shortly, pulling my binder out of my bag.

Haley looked slightly confused, but kept on talking anyway. "What happened?"

"Like you don't know!" I spat at her. "Don't talk to me."

Now Haley looked even more confused. "What are you talking about?" She asked me. "How would I know what happened?"

"Oh, hmm, let me think!" I snapped. "Maybe because you fucking told Vanessa that Adam was forcing me to have sex?"

Haley's mouth dropped open. "Charlotte, I didn't say anything like that at all!" Haley exclaimed. "Vanessa asked me what we talked about when we went for coffee, but I didn't tell her anything!"

"Yeah, right." I replied. "It was just some big joke, wasn't it? You and your other Sluts probably had a nice, big laugh about you pretending to be friends with the loser."

"Char, I swear." Haley pleaded. "Do you really think I would have confided in you, told you how I feel about all of them, and how they treated my brother, when it was all some joke?"

"Yes."

Haley blew her hair out of her face in frusturation. "Fine." She answered. "At lunch, you come talk to Vanessa with me and we'll find out together."

"Like I want to do anything with you." I shot back. "Just leave me alone, we aren't friends, we will never be friends again. Can't you just get that though your thick skull and leave me the hell alone?"

Haley looked incredibly hurt, and for a split second, I felt guilty. I quickly pushed that feeling away. She was full of shit. I believed her once, and look where it got me. I was not going to do that again.

As soon as class was over, I bolted from the room and headed straight for biology. Never in my life have I been so excited for English to be over and biology to start! I thought about Haley all during bio. I wondered if she was being sincere. She is not very bright, I don't think she could act surprised or hurt unless she actually was. But, since she _is _so dumb, she could have said something to Vanessa and not realized that it would be such a big deal. Whatever the case may be, I was done with them. Mom was right, I had my friends, great friends, and I didn't need to waste my time with dramatic bitches like them.

Or so I thought.

I left biology feeling slightly disgusted and queasy, as I always did, and made my way to my locker. I twirled the lock, and was about to pull it open when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Haley standing behind me... with Vanessa.

"What?" I asked darkly.

"We are talking." Haley demanded.

"No, we aren't." Vanessa piped up.

"I'm with her." I told Haley, grabbing my purse from my locker and slamming it shut.

"No." Haley said firmly. "Someone is lying, and I know it's not me."

"What would I have possibly lied about?" I snapped.

Haley glanced at Vanessa, who glared at her. "Oh, please." Vanessa scoffed. "This whole thing is completly retarded, and I don't have time to sit around and listen to you come up with some lame ass story about how you didn't lie and I did. The only thing that matters is my brother didn't get caught up with this loser for any longer than he had to!"

I could feel the tears welling up, so I quickly turned and walked down the hallway, away from the two horrible girls who ruined my life.

I met Becca at her locker. Jake was standing there with her, as were Carolyn, Corrie and Shea. I quickly glanced around for Adam, because Shea was there, but he wasn't. I guess Adam would have to be pretty dumb to try to hang out with _my _friends anyhow.

"Hi." Carolyn said, in that sympathetic voice that everyone seemed to be using with me. "How are you?"

"I'm okay, thanks." I answered. "Glad this day is almost over!"

"No doubt." Becca grumbled. "I'm so done with school. So done! Mrs. Taylor gave me a C on my paper because I didn't indent my paragraphs. Like, who gives a crap?"

"Obviously she does." Jake gently teased. "Want to go get some pizza or something?"

"Sure!" Becca said, standing up. "You coming?" She asked me.

Shea interrupted before I could answer. "Actually, I was hoping I could clear some things up, Char." Shea asked me.

I nodded, knowing it was about Adam and the lies Vanessa spewed.

"Well, why don't you guys just meet us outside?" Corrie suggested. "Down at the picnic tables?"

Shea nodded. "Sounds good." He said, giving her a quick kiss before the four of them walked away.

"So?" I asked. "What's up?"

Shea sighed. "I'm not big on drama." He started. "In fact, I hate it. I don't like gossiping and I hate being around people who gossip. But this time, it involves my best friend and the girl next door."

"I swear, I never told Haley anything about Adam forcing me to have sex." I said, my voice getting wavery.

"I believe you." Shea assured me. "And I really do think Adam does too. I know he does. But his issue is with all this bullshit that his sister is starting up with. She's making his life- and yours, I know- hell."

"It's not like I can do anything about it." I told him. "Short of kicking her ass, which was your brothers advice."

Shea laughed. "Sounds about right." He joked. "I mean... I want you and Adam to be together. I want to help you guys get back together. But I don't know how. How can I help?"

"He's made up his mind." I said flatly. "It's done."

"I bet if you tried talking to him, something could change." Shea advised me.

I glanced at him. "What do you mean?" I asked. "Did Adam say something?"

"Not really." Shea admitted. "I know he wants to be with you though."

I sighed. "The only way that will happen is if Vanessa grows up and quits being a little bitch." I told him.

Shea looked thoughtful but didn't say anything.

"What?" I pressed. "You look like you're thinking about something."

Shea waved his hand. "No, it's nothing." He answered. "But just so I know... If Adam wanted to get back together with you, would you?"

I nodded.

"Cool." Shea answered. "Let's go get some pizza, I'm starved!"

"Okay." I agreed, following him outside. Somehow, though, I knew that there was more going on in Shea's mind than what he was telling me. I guess all I could do was wait and see what happened.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

On and on, and on and on went the week. All I could think about was going to New York and seeing Stacey. I was so excited, I have never been to her place before. Stacey was my babysitter when I was a kid. She and I are- were- very close. She is a very outgoing person, and she helped me out of my shell, a little bit, at least. When she graduated high school, she was pregnant. She moved back to Manhattan (where she lived until she was thirteen) with her then boyfriend (now husband) Ethan and had a baby girl, Lily. Just a couple months ago, she had a baby boy, Liam. I have never met Liam, but I have seen pictures of him, and I must say, Stacey and Ethan make some darn cute kids. He works in insurance, of some kind. All I know is people generally dislike him in his line of work. I guess he has to say no to a lot of people, something I could never do.

School was... school. I spent most of my energy trying to think of ways to avoid Adam, but I think he was doing the same thing, as I didn't even see him all week. I nearly had a heart attack one day when I thought I saw him, but it was actually Jordan. Those two are very hard to tell apart, but Byron, the third one, has black, weird, spiky hair, wears chains and skulls and is pretty much terrifying. But other than that not-so-close call, I didn't see him, hear from him, nothing. He did change his relationship status on Facebook, so everyone on his friends list and mine saw "Adam Pike and Charlotte Johanssen ended their relationship". That was a pretty crappy feeling.

The train left Stoneybrook to Manhattan four times a day... morning, mid morning, mid afternoon and evening. I figured I would be taking the evening train, but Mom said that one was too busy as well, so she let me leave school a couple hours early to catch the two o'clock train. Missing a whole day and geography class? Awesome!

Mom picked me up outside the school at quarter to two and drove me to the train station. I hadn't ever been on the train alone, so I was a little nervous about it.

"Remember, just wait right where you get off for Stacey, okay?" Mom told me for the hundredeth time. "I don't want you wandering around Grand Central, okay?"

"I promise, Mom." I assured her again. "I don't want to be wandering around there by myself either!"

"Okay." She said, handing me my ticket and giving me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You call me the second you walk into Stacey's apartment, okay?"

"I will." I told her, hugging her back. "Thanks for letting me go."

Mom smiled. "You're welcome." She answered. "I know you'll have a great time."

The loudspeaker announced my train, so I quickly hugged Mom again and walked onto the train. I settled into my seat and pulled out my IPod. The ride was not very long, but I wanted my music anyway. My eclectic Brooks and Dunn, Guns & Roses, Rihanna, The Jonas Brothers and Foo Fighters mix of songs was perfect, always a song to fit the mood.

A few minutes later, the train started chugging out of the station. I stared out the window, listening to music, and getting more and more excited about seeing Stacey. The train ride is only about forty five minutes, so it wasn't long before we lurched into the station at Grand Central. I stepped off the train and was in awe. This place was huge and beautiful! The Stoneybrook station is small and dirty but this place looked like a palace. And there, in front of me, was Stacey. Her normally long, wavy hair was chopped off into a cute bob, and straight. It was still bright blonde, but she looked way older than twenty.

"Char!" Stacey rushed towards me and wrapped me into a huge hug. "Oh, I've missed you! I'm so glad you're here!"

"I'm so glad you invited me to come!" I exclaimed, hugging her back.

"Oh, silly, you know you're always invited!" Stacey laughed and pulled away, holding me out at arms length. "Look at you! You're a grownup!"

I laughed. "You look great, too." I told her. "I love your hair like that!"

Stacey reached up and touched her hair. "It was a big change, for sure!" She told me. "But Lily always pulled it, so right before Liam was born, I decided not to give him the opportunity!"

I laughed and picked up my backpack. "Well, it looks great." I answered, following Stacey towards the exit. She quickly hailed a cab (I don't know if I could do that!) and we climbed in. Stacey told the cab driver her address, and he sped off. About fifteen minutes later, he slammed on the brakes in front of a small apartment building. Stacey and I climbed out, and Stacey waved her arms in mock flourish.

"Welcome to my humble adobe." She said jokingly. I grinned at her. This was going to be the best weekend!


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Stacey led me up the stairs to the elevator. She pressed 9 and the elevator crashed and banged a bit before taking off.

"Don't worry." She said with a laugh. "It's pretty much safe!"

"Pretty much." I groaned, holding onto the side rail. After a moment, the elevator rumbled to a stop. The doors slid open and we walked out.

"This is mine." Stacey said, stopping at 9B. She unlocked the door and pushed it open. "Hello!"

"Mama!" A beautiful little girl with blonde, curly hair ran towards Stacey and I. Stacey picked her up, and suddenly, Lily stared at me. She made a crinkled face.

"Who sat?" She asked Stacey.

"That's my friend Charlotte." Stacey explained. "You met Charlotte when you were a teeny baby!"

"Wow!" Lily exclaimed, obviously impressed. "Mama, I drew! Come!"

Lily figgitted to be put down, and Stacey and I followed her into the living room. Her place was quite small, but it flowed nicely, had a lot of windows and even a small deck. In the living room, Lily was standing in front of a little kids table, proudly holding up a piece of paper with blue and purple scribbles all over it. Little Liam, just four months old, was sitting in his bouncy seat, entertained by the stuffed duck hanging above him. There was a girl about my age sitting on the couch. I assumed she was the babysitter. She looked like a model. Definitely a city girl. I felt a little uncomfortable around her in my faded jeans and old sweatshirt, with my hair in a ponytail. She was wearing a short, short jean shirt with calf length black leggings and a black, lowcut top. Definitely not what I wear out babysitting!

"Char, this is Carly, the babysitter." Stacey said, lifting Liam from his bouncy seat. "Carley, this is Charlotte. I used to babysit her when I was younger."

"Nice to meet you." I said shyly. Carley gave me a forced grin.

"Ditto." She answered, snapping her gum. "Okay, Stace, I gotta run."

"Oh, sorry!" Stacey apologized, handing Carley a twenty. "Thanks, Carley."

"No worries." Carley said, grabbing her coat. "See you."

Stacey made a face as Carley walked out the door. As soon as it slammed behind her, Stacey whispered to me. "I can't stand that girl. My usual babysitter couldn't make it, so I had to get that stuck up little..." she shot a glance at Lily, "Thing." She finished.

I laughed. "Yeah, she seems a little... snobby."

"The worst thing is, she reminds me of what I was like before I moved to Stoneybrook." Stacey shuddered at the thought. "Thankfully, the small town life grounded me a bit, so hopefully, I won't be raising city snots like that!"

Stacey and I spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the kids. Lily was so cute. She was almost two, and just a really loveable, sweet kid. We made a block tower, knocked it down, made another one and knocked that one down. I think Lily had more fun knocking it over than building it. Liam was just as cute, he was pretty stoked when Stacey made a stuffed bear pretend to kiss him. His little baby laugh was so precious. I was having such a good time just hanging out and playing with the babies that I completely forgot about Adam. Until Stacey brought him up, that is.

"So." Stacey said, settling onto the couch with a blanket, bottle and baby. "Have you talked to Adam at all this week?"

I sighed and handed Lily another block. "No." I admitted. "I have kind of been putting all my energy into avoiding him, actually."

"Why?"

"Cause it's hard!" I said, my voice cracking. "He didn't even try to stand up to his sister, he just packed up his balls and walked away!"

"Balls?" Lily asked, picking up a small toy ball. "Play, Cha!"

Stacey burst out laughing. "Little ears." She gently reminded me. "But seriously... Do you really think avoiding him is the best idea?"

I nodded. "Yep." I said simply.

Stacey sighed. "Char." She said. "You know it's not. You need to talk to him."

"Why?" I demanded. "He already said all he needed to say!"

"Talk to him on Monday, when you both have had time to think." Stacey suggested. "A week is more than enough time. Trust me, I have been though my fair share of break-up's."

I laughed. Stacey had definitely had more than a handful of boyfriends in her time.

"Okay, so, let's just say, just for pretend, that I did say something." I started. "What do I say? How do I start? I don't even have a clue!"

"What do you think you should say?"

I stared at Stacey like she had seven heads. "I. Don't. Know!" I exclaimed. "I'm so bad with stuff like this!"

Stacey laughed again, this time more quietly, because Liam was drifting off to sleep. Stacey pulled the bottle from his mouth, and when his eyes didn't open again, she carefully stood up and held up one finger to me, indicating that she'd be right back. I continued stacking blocks with Lily (this kid definitely liked her blocks!) until Stacey got back. She detoured though the kitchen and grabbed a baggie of Goldfish crackers for Lily and an apple for her and I.

"Okay." She said, settling back on the couch. "Here's what I would do. Find him in a spot when he is alone. Not in the lunch room or whatever. Maybe at his locker or outside a class. Tell him you want to talk to him, but not right then. Let him think about things for a little bit first. It's probably best to meet after class. Then ask him why."

"But I already know why." I protested. "It's cause of Vanessa!"

"Well, that's a bullshit reason." Stacey retorted, forgetting about the 'little ears'. Lily was so preoccupied with her goldfish that she didn't even pay attention to her mom.

"He needs to stand up to Vanessa, like you said." Stacey continued. "She is not the little princess she likes to think she is. She is being mean and selfish and disgusting. Anyone who would tell her brother lies to get him to break up with a great girl is friggin... on glue."

"I know!" I said with a sigh. "It's ridiculous. She shouldn't be able to control who he dates. I mean, it's not like I am some slut, or a liar or anything like that. She should be happy he's with someone like me." I cleared my throat. "Or, was, anyway."

"Have you tried talking to Vanessa?"

"I did." I told her. "Adam kind of forced us into it. And it was going okay, but then she flipped and was back to being Vanessa-the-bitch."

"How can people still like her?" Stacey mused. "I mean, she is so mean! How can she still have friends?"

"Well, Tiffany and Kerry aren't exactly the friendliest people in the world." I reminded Stacey. "And Haley... well... I don't know. I thought I knew, then I thought I didn't... now I... just don't know about her."

"Why?"

I realized then that I hadn't told Stacey a thing about Haley. I started telling her about how Haley and Vanessa were talking in the bathroom, and how we went for coffee and she told me she wasn't into being one of 'them' anymore. I told her about Vanessa saying that Haley said I told her stuff about me and Adam, but how I wasn't sure if that was true or not. I finished off by telling her about Haley trying to get me and Vanessa to talk on Monday, but I wasn't having any of it, and neither was Vanessa.

"Well." Stacey said when I finished. "Honestly, I don't think Haley is the malicious type. I'm thinking it's all Vanessa's doing, and Haley has been her follower for so long, she is getting sick of it."

"I'm kind of thinking that too." I answered. "But... I don't know. I mean, she seems sincere... But what if she isn't?"

"Then she's more malicious than either one of us thought." Stacey answered. "Which I find terribly hard to believe!"

I pursed my lips. Maybe Stacey was right. I didn't have much time left to think about it, because it was getting close to dinnertime, and Ethan had just gotten home, so I played with Lily a bit more while Stacey peeled potatoes and caught up with her husband.

I watched them though the doorway, listening to them laugh and tease each other, and it made me... really happy. Ethan and Stacey started dating when she was thirteen, then it was kind of back and forth for awhile. When she was seventeen, she got pregnant, and everything was certain that her and Ethan would fail. But they were doing the complete opposite. I think because both of their parents were divorced, they know exactly what not to do. They had a nice apartment, two beautiful kids and tons of love. They were young, but they were going to do just fine.

I had only met Ethan a couple times, so I was a little shy in front of him. Plus, he was totally hot! We had a nice dinner together, though, scalloped potatoes and chicken. Stacey had made a sugar free pudding thing for dessert (she is diabetic so she can't have extra sugar).

"So, what's your plan for Halloween?" Stacey asked me as we cleaned up the dinner dishes. "It's only a week away!"

I shrugged. "Well, Jeff Schafer is having a huge party, as usual."

"That old house is perfect for parties." Stacey interrupted. "It's so spooky!"

"But I don't know if I will go." I finished. "Adam will be there."

"So, you'll be dressed up, he won't even recognize you!" Stacey said with a laugh."What are you going as?"

"Becca and I are going as Betty and Wilma." I said with a laugh. "I got Betty."

Stacey laughed. "That's cute!" She said. "Will she go to Jeff's?"

I shrugged again. "Her and Jeff kind of had a... fling type thing." I admitted. "Only a couple days long, but then she ditched him to get back with Jake."

"Oh, boy." Stacey said. "Gotta love the high school life!"

I groaned. "I just want life to be back to normal." I told her. "With Adam. But normal."

Stacey hugged me. "It will all get better." She promised. "But you really do need to talk to him again. I know you say he's said everything... But just talk to him. Maybe even talk to Vanessa!"

I made a face. "Yeah, cause that will totally be the solution to all of life's problems." I said sarcastically. "Vanessa hates me and does _not _want to talk to me."

"Then I'll talk to her." Stacey said, drying her hands. She walked into the living room, where a freshly bathed Lily was sitting on Ethan's lap, rapidly flipping though a picture book. I followed her.

"What are you doing?" I asked Stacey as she sat down at the computer desk. "Are you sending her an email? Please don't!"

"Why not?" Stacey demanded. "She is being a henious bitch to you, and she needs a good kick in the ass!"

"She already torments me enough!" I pleaded.

Ethan looked up. "Stace, just let it go." He suggested. "They'll be able to work it out."

Stacey made a face, and I could tell that she really wanted to write an email. But I really didn't want her to. I had enough crap to deal with at school, I didn't need Vanessa telling everyone that I was getting my old babysitter to fight my battles for me.

Shortly after that, Ethan and Stacey put the kids into bed and Ethan started to pack for his trip. He was leaving early the next morning for Philidelphia, and, in typical male fashion, he was packing at the very last minute.

While he was packing, Stacey and I decided to watch a couple episodes of One Tree Hill. Stacey loves that show as much as I do, and has all the seasons on DVD. We put on my favourite episode first (the one when Lucas and Nathan get kicked off the basketball bus and Haley, Brooke and Peyton drive back together), but we kept getting interrupted by Ethan.

"Stace, where's my extra shaving cream?" Ethan asked her. "This one is almost empty."

"God, doesn't he live here too?" Stacey grumbled, throwing the blacket off her and heading into the bedroom. She came back a few minutes later and shook her head.

"Men are completely helpless." She informed me. "Are you sure you want one?"

I laughed. "Yeah, I like boys." I teased.

"Oh, me too." Stacey agreed. "That's the problem!"

Later that night, I settled into the cushions on Stacey's couch. It was comfy, as far as couches go. The house was quiet, but I could hear the traffic and voices of New York below me. Definitely wasn't like sleeping in Stoneybrook! Even with all the noise, I still managed to fall asleep nearly instantly and not wake up at all during the night!

Mornings at the Carroll household are insane. Two hungry kids, two coffee-needing adults, not enough time to do anything, and today, Ethan had to leave about an hour earlier than normal. I tried to help out as much as I could, I actually fed Liam his morning bottle, which I was pretty amazed at. I don't have much experience with babies, so it was really cool that he let me feed him!

"Char, you're so good with him!" Stacey commented, coming into the living room and handing me a cup of coffee. I had Liam laying on his back on my knees and I was tickling him and playing with his feet. He was giggling like crazy, and making me laugh too. He was a pretty adorable little guy.

While Ethan was saying goodbye to Stacey and the kids, I decided to have a shower, just to give them a little privacy. Once I got out and got dressed, I went to the living room. Stacey was getting Lily dressed. Liam was sitting in his carseat, dressed already.

"I thought we could go for a walk." Stacey suggested, pulling some socks over Lily's feet. "It's so nice out, and then you can see the neighbourhood!"

"Sounds good." I answered.

Stacey lives in an area of Manhattan called Hell's Kitchen. West Side Story was based on this neighborhood. Sylvester Stalone and Jerry Seinfeld lived around here once upon a time. As we walked out, Stacey pointed out the Windermere, which is one of the oldest apartment buildings in New York, the restaurant Ariana, which serves Afghan food and has a huge, neon sign shaped like Afghanistan in the window and the highight of the walk, 99¢ Fresh Pizza. We popped in there and got some deliciously cheap pizza and coffee, to hold us over until we got home.

"Thanks for showing me around, Stace." I told her as we approached her building. Last time I came, Stacey and Ethan were living with Stacey's dad on the Upper East Side, so I have never seen this area of Manhattan before.

"Hey, I had fun!" Stacey answered. "It's nice to play tourist for a day."

We walked though the lobby and into the scary elevator. It didn't even seem to faze the kids at all. I guess they deal with it at least twice a day, every day, so they were used to it. I don't think I could ever get used to having to feel nauseous before I could go home.

As soon as Stacey unlocked the door, I beelined for the bathroom. We had passed a couple washrooms on our walk, but I didn't trust any of them! While I was in there, Stacey yelled out at me, "Hey, Char, your phone is going crazy out here!"

"Can you answer it for me?" I called back, assuming it was my mother. I heard Stacey answer it as I finished up and went back into the living room.

"Yeah, honey, she's right here." Stacey said, sounding concerned. She held the phone out to me. "It's Becca." She told me. "She doesn't sound good."

I quickly grabbed the phone from Stacey. Why would Becca be calling me, unless something was terribly wrong? Why wasn't my mom calling me? My stomach was in knots. It was my mom. Something happened to my mom and she couldn't call me!

"Beck?" I asked, my voice cracking.

"Char, oh man." Becca was crying. I knew something awful had happened. Becca is not a crier.

"What is it?" I asked in a panicked voice. "Becca, what's going on?"

I heard Becca take a deep breath to try to control her voice. "There was... there was an accident last night. Shea and Adam... got hit..." Her voice was breaking. "There was a drunk driver."

"They're okay, though, right?" I asked, my voice getting louder with worry. "Becca! They're okay... aren't they?"

Becca was crying again. "Shea is." She told me. "He was driving. He just got banged up a bit. Adam..."

"Adam what?" I asked, erupting in tears.

"He's in a coma, Char." Becca told me. "We don't know... if he's going to make it."

I felt my head get light, and I don't remember saying anything else to Becca. All I remember is Stacey crying out as my knees buckled and I fell to the floor.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

I left New York that afternoon. I protested it, but Stacey and my mother insisted I did. I kept telling them that it didn't matter if I stay or went, Adam wouldn't want to see my anyway. I hoped, deep down, that he would want to see me, but I was scared of walking into that hospital room, with him awake or not, and him asking what I was doing there. Why would he want his ex girlfriend there when his family and friends should be there? And I knew Vanessa would be there, obviously. I didn't want to see her or face her. Actually, I didn't know who I was more scared of seeing, Adam or Vanessa.

The train ride home seemed over in a flash. I didn't want my weekend with Stacey to be over. I didn't want to have to go though this. Coming home made it real. Adam was really hurt, really bad, and really unconcious. But I didn't cry. I didn't cry when my mom met me at the platform. I didn't cry when she told me that a drunk driver had ran a stop sign and hit Shea's truck, injuring Adam the most because he was on the impact side. I didn't cry when she said he had broken ribs, a punctured lung and a bunch of brusing. I didn't say a word about it, I showed no emotion about it, until I got home.

When I got home, I immediately went up to my room. I turned on the computer and went on Facebook. The very first thing I saw was the picture of Adam and I. Not even two weeks ago, when we were together and he wasn't in the hospital. The second I saw that picture, I burst into tears. The tears turned into crying convulsions, and I couldn't breathe. My mom suddenly rushed into my bedroom.

"Put your head between your knees!" She instructed. "Now, take nice, slow, deep breaths. That's a girl. Shhh. It will all be okay."

"How do you know, Mom?" I sobbed. "What if it's not and he dies?"

Mom didn't say anything, because she knew as well as I did that he very well could. She just rubbed my back as I cried.

"How could two weeks make such a difference?" I asked her. "Two weeks, Mom! Two lousy weeks, and look at everything that has happened!"

"Maybe God is just getting all the bad stuff over at once." Mom lamely suggested.

"Well, God is being an idiot!" I told her.

"Char."

I blew my nose. "Well, even He makes mistakes, and taking Adam would be a huge one!"

"He's not going to take Adam." Mom assured me, even though she had no idea. "He's a strong kid, a healthy kid, and those are great odds. You know that."

"I don't want to talk about it anymore." I said flatly.

"Okay." Mom agreed, standing up. "I think Becca is on her way over, though, she asked what time we'd be home. Do you want me to tell her you're not up for talking when she gets here?"

"No." I answered. "She can come up here."

"Okay." Mom replied, patting my back again and giving me a hug. "It _will _be okay, Char. You just have to keep the faith, okay?"

I forced a smile. "Okay." I told her. "Thanks."

Mom left my room and I turned off the computer. I didn't want to look at that picture anymore. Instead, I curled up on my bed and pulled my old throw blanket around me. I laid there, crying softly and thinking. What if this was it? What if he really did...? I tried to force that thought out of my head but it wouldn't leave. What if I never got to say goodbye? I knew I should go to the hospital, I knew I should. But... I couldn't. Adam wouldn't want to see me. We said our goodbyes, and, yes, they weren't _those _kind of goodbyes. But they were goodbye's, and that was that.

"Char?"

"Hi." I answered without turning around.

Becca came in and closed the door behind her. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

I rolled my eyes. Sometimes best friends know _too _much about you.

Becca sat at the foot of my bed and folded her legs. "Do you want to come to the hospital with me? He's in Stamford, but I talked-."

"No." I interrupted.

"Why not?"

"Cause he wouldn't want me there."

"Char, come on."

I turned and faced Becca. "Beck!" I exclaimed. "He. Broke. Up. With. Me! He won't want to see me."

"He didn't break up with you cause of you, he broke up with you cause of Vanessa." Becca reminded me.

"Yet another reason not to go."

Becca sighed. "Char, at the risk of sounding like an insensitive friend... you are being an idiot."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are!"

"No! I'm _not_!"

"Yes! You _are_!"

I sighed loudly. "Becca, I'm really not into arguing with you, so if that's all you came to do, you can go."

"I came to see _you_, and see how you were doing." Becca reminded me gently. "I really think that you're making a mistake not going and seeing him."

"What difference does it make, anyhow?" I asked her. "It's not like he would even know if I was there!"

"Yes, he would, they say patients in coma's hear nearly everything." Becca told me. "They just can't respond."

"Thank you, Doctor Ramsey." I said sarcastically.

"Would you like me to go ask your mother?"

"No." I knew she was right. I was just being miserable, cranky, stubborn and confused.

"I know you're upset." Becca said quietly. "Just don't jump all over me for trying to be supportive, okay? I've never had a best friends very recent ex boyfriend get in a car accident before, so I don't know how to deal."

"Me either." I whispered. "Becca?" I asked, sitting up and facing her.

"What?"

I took a deep breath. "What if... what if he... you know?" I couldn't say that word. My voice started to break, and Becca immediately pulled me into a hug.

"He's not, Char." She said firmly, her own voice cracking. "He's not going to!"

We sat their, embraced and crying for a few minutes, until Becca's phone started beeping. She pulled away and opened her phone as I wiped my eyes.

"It's Corrie." She told me. "Her and Shea are waiting outside."

"How is he, anyway?" I asked her.

"He cracked his left wrist and got some brusing from the seatbelt, but that's all." Becca answered. "He got all patched up last night and got to come home."

"Good."

Becca stood up. "Are you sure you don't want to come?" She asked again. "You have us with you, you're not going to be alone."

I shook my head. "No." I answered. "I really don't want to go."

Becca hugged me again. "Okay." She replied. "Love you, bestie."

"Love you too." I answered, hugging her back. "Tell Shea I'm glad he's okay."

"I will." Becca said, walking out my bedroom door.

After she left, I didn't know what to do with myself. I felt anxious and bored and worried and stressed and energetic all at the same time. I wandered though the house, opened the fridge, closed the fridge, turned on the TV, turned off the TV, went upstairs, went downstairs, went outside, came back inside. I felt like I was losing my mind, so I went back up to my room to have a nap.

I slept for about three hours. I had a very weird dream (I usually have weird dreams when I sleep in the middle of the day). I dreamed that Adam showed up at my house, but his truck was a hospital bed. I thought nothing of it and hopped on. We then started to fly across the ocean, and ended up in this dark cave. I was so scared, but Adam took my hand and we walked to the end of the cave and ended up in the bottom of this wishing well. Only the coins that should have been down there were actually frogs! We were just about to try throwing the frogs out of the well to go get help when I was suddenly by my mom asking me to come down for dinner.

I spent the rest of the weekend at home. My dad came home, and asked me if I wanted to go looking at cars (I turn sixteen in February and my parents promised me a new-to-me car). I declined on the offer, not just because I was having a crummy weekend, but because if I had my very own car in my driveway, I think the months until my birthday would drag and drag and drag. I know he was just trying to cheer me up.

On Sunday, Becca came over with the bright idea to make Get Well Soon cards for Adam. I obliged, but only because it was easier than listening to her whine at me about it. She put a lot of effort into hers, and it actually came out really beautiful. Mine was disgusting, a hodge-podge of ugly colors, useless stickers and glue marks. I had every intention of tossing it in the garbage the second Becca left.

"You're not putting a lot of effort into that." Becca told me, glancing down as I haphazardly taped down a pipe cleaner.

I shrugged. "It's the best I can do."

"It is not."

"Okay, it's the best I want to do." I answered. "I'm making one, okay? That's all you asked from me."

"Quit being so grumpy at me." Becca said, blowing her glue dry.

"Sorry." I muttered, tossing my card aside and pulling my knees up to my chin. I looked at Becca's beautiful card and my hideous one, and started to cry.

"What?" Becca asked, alarmed. "What's wrong?"

"No wonder Adam doesn't like me, I can't even make him a nice Get Well card!" I sobbed, knowing how ridiculous I sounded.

Becca's lips twitched, and I knew she was trying not to laugh."Oh, Char." She soothed, before letting out a small giggle. "I'm sorry! You're being way too hard on yourself, honey! You didn't do anything wrong, so quit being so hard on yourself. You're being mean to my best friend!"

My mouth twitched too. "Okay." I answered, smiling. "But my card really is a mess!"

Becca burst out laughing. "Yeah, it's a train wreck!" She agreed, giving me a sideways hug.

Monday morning... yet again. I really had no desire to go to school, but since I missed part of Thursday and all of Friday, my mother was making me go. I'm sure if I really wasn't feeling up to it, she wouldn't have made me, but I was sick of moping around at home. And, this would be one of the only times Vanessa wouldn't be there. I knew her mother wasn't making any of them go to school while their brother is laying in a hospital in a coma. The accident was on a Thursday. He had been out for three days and some odd hours. I didn't dare ask my mom if this was normal, because I was scared of the answer. So, like always, I pushed that thought out of my head and concentrated on getting myself ready for school.

I met Becca outside her house and together we walked to school. I knew she had been to see Adam the night before, with Corrie and Carolyn, but I didn't ask her how it went, and she didn't tell me. I tried to pretend that she wasn't going to see him, so that I didn't have to feel so bad about not seeing him. It didn't work, and I still felt bad.

My morning classes dragged on. Haley didn't even bother trying to talk to me or even look at me in English, which was completely fine by me. Even though I was pretty sure she had nothing to do with anything, I still didn't want to talk to her. Not until I knew for sure, which could be never.

When lunchtime finally hit, I made a break for the door. I couldn't wait to get outside and get some fresh air. Becca met me at her locker and together, with Jake, we left the school and went and sat out on the grass. Since it was already nearly November, we were going to take advantage of any sunny day we got.

"Hey, Char, I have a joke for you." Jake told me as we settled onto the grass. "A guy walks into a doctor's office and says, "Doc, I can't stop singing the 'Green, Green Grass of Home.' The doctor hears this, thinks for a moment, then says, 'Sounds like you have Tom Jones Syndrome.' 'Is it common?' the guy asks. "Well, it's not unusual." "

I stared at him blankly. "Then what?"

Jake shrugged. "I mean... I don't... I don't know what the doctor, like, prescribed him, or anything..."

"That's the end, Char." Becca laughed. "You know, that song that Tom Jones sang, that Carlton always sang on The Fresh Prince?"

I thought for a moment. "_Oh_!" I exclaimed. "Oh, that's so lame!"

Jake and Becca both laughed. Jake gets really excited when he stumps someone with a joke, even though, hands down, he didn't get it until someone explained it to him as well.

"Anyway." Becc said, rolling her eyes with a grin. "We are going to Stamford tonight. Do-."

"No."

"Oka-a-ay."

Becca didn't bring up Adam anymore. Instead, we spent the rest of out lunch hour, listening to Jake try to remember how a joke ended, or laughing painfully at some other lame ones he would come up with. The way he told the jokes, you'd never know if it was the end or not, until he would look expectantly at you and you'd realise it was over, and laugh, just to please him.

At the end of the day, I walked home alone. Becca and Jake got picked up by Shea and Corrie, along with Carolyn. They offered to drive me home (Corrie's got this ghetto K car type thing with a bench seat in the front) but I decided I wanted to walk. It is a long walk normally, but alone, it seemed to take forever. When I finally got home, the house was empty. I couldn't handle the quiet, so I turned the TV on and watched about four reruns of Friends. I was about to go upstairs and have a nice, long bath, when the doorbell rang. I pulled the door open and saw Vanessa standing on my front stoop. Although, it didn't seem like Vanessa. The cocky smirk continuously planted on her face was gone. Her eyes looked small and red. She looked like a tiny, scared, little girl.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her. Then it hit me. Adam was gone. Vanessa was calling to tell me that he had... He didn't make it.

Vanessa must have saw the look on my face. "Adam's awake." She told me. "I just thought you should know."

He was awake! He wasn't gone, he was awake. I felt the tears start pouring out, but for once, I didn't care. Vanessa was crying too.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked her, opening the door further and silently inviting her in.

"Because... you should be with him." Vanessa said. "I never should have acted the way that I did. I lied to you, about Haley telling me that shit about you. I didn't want my brother dating you, but I really didn't know why. Then I figured it out. I was jealous."

My eyes dropped. Was Vanessa a lesbian?

"Not jealous cause he was dating you." She quickly added. "Jealous cause he was hanging out with you and I wasn't anymore. It really made me miss my friend, and I knew we could never be friends again.

"I'm sorry I lied." Vanessa continued on. "I'm sorry that I interfered. I know apologizing isn't going to make up for a thing I did, but it's a start, right?"

I nodded, completely speechless and unsure of what to say.

"After this accident with Adam, I was sick to my stomach." Vanessa said, sobbing. "I was so mad at myself for lying to the both of you, and all I could think about was, what if this is it? What if I never get the chance to tell Adam and Charlotte how wrong I was, and how terrible I have been? What if they never get the chance to see each other again?

"Life's too short." She whispered, choking back a sob.

"The truth is, Vanessa." I started. "I'm crazy about your brother. I want that to be good enough."

"It is, it is." Vanessa promised. "Oh, God, Char, I just feel so awful for everything that happened. I think about it, and can't believe I did so many horrible things. I just feel so bad."

"You should." I told her. I wasn't about to sugar coat anything for Vanessa. Her coming over and apologizing and basically giving me her blessing was really nice, but I couldn't forget everything that she did. Forgive, maybe, forget, no.

"I do." Vanessa answered solemnly. "And you know what else?"

"What?"

Vanessa looked like she was about to cry again. "Kerry and Tiffany never asked me about Adam at all!"

"Are you serious?" I asked. "Some friends you picked."

"I know." She answered. "I made a really bad choice. I know I can't take it back, and I know things will never be able to be the same with us, but... Char, can you forgive me?"

I nodded. I was more than ready for this stupid feud to be over with. Vanessa grinned and stood up.

"I'm going to the hospital right now." Vanessa told me. "I know you don't think Adam wants to see you, but he does. Will you come with me?"

I was quiet for a moment. I still wasn't certain if he wanted to see me. But Vanessa was right. Life's too short. I nodded yes.

The drive to Stamford was long and quiet. Me and Vanessa didn't have much to say to one another, so we turned the radio on instead. Finally, after what seemed like days, we pulled into the parking lot at Stamford General Hospital.

"Wait." I said to Vanessa as we walked in the main enterence. "I don't have a present for Adam!"

"You don't need to get him a present, Char." Vanessa assured me. "You are enough."

I didn't believe her though, so I ducked into the gift shop and found a cute little bear with a few bandages and a thermometer in his mouth.

"He'll be perfect." I decided, handing the cashier some cash.

"Ready?" Vanessa asked me as we walked towards the elevator.

I shook my head and shrugged. "Guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be." I answered. The elevator took us up to the third floor and Vanessa led me down the hallway, and turned into room 326.

Corrie, Shea, Becca and Carolyn were all standing around Adam's bed. They all turned when Vanessa and I walked in, and every, single one of them looked shocked. But then, one by one, they all smiled and backed away from the bed, giving Adam and I some space.

"Hey, you." He said softly as I inched closer to the bed. "I've missed you."

I nodded, unable to speak as the tears started falling. "Me, too." I finally managed to squeak out. As I inched closer, Adam patted the side of his bed, I sat down gingerly, then finally, rested my head against his shoulder and started to sob. Adam was silent as he stroked my hair, and I knew that we would be together again.


End file.
